Because there are no posts to comment on, I will create my own 100 word "comment" and others are welcome to comment on also :)
Reading poems in a series all together has its pros and its cons.
A pro is that I found myself more involved in the story, I LOVED the poems "Variation of Gaining a Son" and "The Stroke". I feel that because I had been reading the poems leading up to them I had better understanding of what they were about, and just a better appreciation for the characters.
A con is that I found myself so involved, that sometimes I would not take the time to really dissect the poems, only taking them at face value. I'm sure I missed a lot of hidden meaning that if I went back and read again I would understand. I do this even in regular novels, and I find after I read them again I missed so many little details that are so clever, so I believe poetry is similar, except I feel if you miss a little, you're really missing a whole lot of meaning.
I agree with you about the series format. Having poems that go in order and build on one another is much more enjoyable than reading a stand alone poem. I feel that having context, and seeing the progression (or regression) of the characters is nice and is an
ReplyDeleteelement that normally would be non-existent in a single poem. Another con that is similar in my mind is that with a piece this long it can sometimes be hard to maintain the reader's attention by sustaining an interesting pace. However, I think Rita Dove did a fine job overcoming this.
I couldn't agree more with the first comment. Poetry in general seems to have a lot of hidden under-meanings that need to be dug up to be able to have full appreciation for each poem. I also really enjoyed have basically the "same" life described from two points of view. It was also validating to recognize the little symbols on each end of the story. Whether it be the yellow scarf, canary, mandolin, etc. I am still curious as to who Maurice is and why he/she was mentioned in the story without explanation.
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