Introduction To Poetry

[mason55]

I would not recommend Eliot's poems without some sort of guide to go with them. Eliot wrote at a time when a classical education was assumed of anyone who would be reading his poems. There are lines in Greek and Latin and many references that no one today would get without having to look them up.

With a reference though, they are amazing. Many times I am just as amazed at the depth and aptness of his references as I am by the imagery and verse of the poetry. If you like The Wasteland, check out The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. It might actually be a better place to start as it is slightly more accessible than The Wasteland.

Depending on your tastes, there are thousands of different directions you can take. If you have access to a college bookstore, the best recommendation would be to go spend $50 on one of the giant anthologies of poems that they use for the poetry classes. I still have mine from when I did my creative writing minor/poetry concentration.

Poetry is like any other art though. Don't let anyone tell you what is good or bad, just read what you like. This is the reason that a huge anthology of classic poems will be good for you. You can find some good jumping off points based on what you want and then dive deeper into whatever period/style you enjoy.

Some standard suggestions though:

Modern period: William Carlos Williams, Charles Bukowski, Ezra Pound, Allen Ginsberg

Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Gwendolyn Brooks

Romantics: William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Keats, Percy Shelley

Alright, I don't feel like listing any more [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I highly, highly recommond picking up an anthology though if you have anything more than a passing interest in poetry.

[Claunchy]

"The Panther" by Rilke