On Difficulty in Poetry
In this 2007 essay, poet and critic Reginald Shepherd breaks down the ways that poetry can pleasurably challenge our understanding. Against claims that poetry is too elitist and complicated for most people to enjoy, Shepherd contends that the very purpose and distinguishing quality of poetry is how it offers not only a "meaning" but a fresh experience of language. So long as the author is not being obscure for its own sake, the mystery in the poem can be satisfying to explore. "For a poem to be boring is much worse than for a poem to be baffling...Too many bad poems, dull poems, are just meaning, with nothing or too little doing the meaning. I know what they mean, but I can't be bothered to care."
Source: https://reginaldshepherd.blogspot.com/2007/06/on-difficulty-in-poetry.html
Categories: Advice for Writers, Essays on Writing
