First published 2024
Brad Leithauser examines the technical foundations that make poetry work. He focuses on meter, rhyme, and stanza construction as the core elements poets use to build lasting verse. Leithauser argues that readers value great poetry for its craft rather than its content alone. He demonstrates how meter and rhyme create productive tension in successful poems. The book shows why English spelling quirks help poets, when imperfect rhymes work better than exact ones, and how Shakespeare and Frost achieve similar effects across different eras. Leithauser draws examples from diverse sources, analyzing lines by Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, and Boz Scaggs alongside classical poets like Chaucer, Milton, Bishop, and Swenson. He breaks down memorable passages to reveal their technical construction. The book serves both newcomers learning poetry basics and experienced readers wanting to understand familiar works in greater detail.
Genres: art, literary-criticism, poetry, academic
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, educational
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, 21st-century
368 pages · Paperback · Vintage