Elizabeth Bishop at work /
Critics and biographers praise Elizabeth Bishop's poetry but have little to say about how it does its sublime work-in the ear and in the mind's eye. Eleanor Cook examines in detail Bishop's diction, syntax, rhythm, and meter, her acute sense of place, and her attention to the natural...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge, MA :
Harvard University Press,
[2016]
Cambridge, MA : [2016] Cambridge, Massachusetts : 2016 |
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| Summary: | Critics and biographers praise Elizabeth Bishop's poetry but have little to say about how it does its sublime work-in the ear and in the mind's eye. Eleanor Cook examines in detail Bishop's diction, syntax, rhythm, and meter, her acute sense of place, and her attention to the natural world. Writers, readers, and teachers will all benefit Elizabeth Bishop is now recognized as a major twentieth-century poet. She is routinely praised for her mastery of her art, yet all too often the art itself is ignored. Terms like 'quiet perfection' abound but are seldom demonstrated very far. This book looks in detail at how she works. It is meant for both readers and writers, as well as teachers, at every level, from beginning writers to more advanced, from ordinary readers of poetry to specialists. Prose writers and readers should also find useful guidelines. In showing exactly how Bishop's poems work, it suggests how our own writing and reading might learn from her. She has been compared to Vermeer, and as with his paintings, so with her poems. They can create small worlds where every detail matters. Elizabeth Bishop at Work starts with two case studies from her earliest writing, then proceeds chronologically. It shows how she shapes each collection, putting paid to any idea that her collections are random miscellanies. Alternate chapters and chapter sections focus on practical topics, starting with diction ('Elizabeth Bishop's Ordinary Diction - yes, but'), and including rhythm, syntax, genre, tone, allusion, and more. Details previously unnoticed are analyzed, such as the terza rima snaking down one poem, and what it is doing. Many poems are read in detail and their small worlds reconstructed. These details and these worlds are a necessary part of Bishop's wide point of view. They light up her life as an artist as well as her life as a whole.-- Elizabeth Bishop is now recognized as a major twentieth-century poet. She is routinely praised for her mastery of her art, yet all too often the art itself is ignored. Terms like quiet perfection abound but are seldom demonstrated very far. This book looks in detail at how she works. It is meant for both readers and writers, as well as teachers, at every level, from beginning writers to more advanced, from ordinary readers of poetry to specialists. Prose writers and readers should also find useful guidelines. In showing exactly how Bishops poems work, it suggests how our own writing and reading might learn from her. She has been compared to Vermeer, and as with his paintings, so with her poems. They can create small worlds where every detail matters. Elizabeth Bishop at Work starts with two case studies from her earliest writing, then proceeds chronologically. It shows how she shapes each collection, putting paid to any idea that her collections are random miscellanies. Alternate chapters and chapter sections focus on practical topics, starting with diction (Elizabeth Bishops Ordinary Diction - yes, but), and including rhythm, syntax, genre, tone, allusion, and more. Details previously unnoticed are analyzed, such as the terza rima snaking down one poem, and what it is doing. Many poems are read in detail and their small worlds reconstructed. These details and these worlds are a necessary part of Bishops wide point of view. They light up her life as an artist as well as her life as a whole.-- |
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| Item Description: | Includes indexes |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (320 p.) 1 online resource (321 p.) 1 online resource (x, 308 pages) 1 online resource |
| Format: | Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| ISBN: | 0-674-97312-7 0-674-97314-3 0674973127 9780674973121 |
| Access: | Restricted for use by site license |