Poetry: a very short introduction - Bernard O'donoghue

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Poetry, arguably, has a greater range of conceptual meaning than perhaps any other term in English.

At the most basic level everyone can recognise it-it is a kind of literature that uses special linguistic devices of organization and expression for aesthetic effect.

However, far grander claims have been made for poetry than this-such as Shelley's that the poets 'are the unacknowledged legislators of the world', and that poetry is 'a higher truth'.

In this Very Short Introduction, Bernard O'Donoghue provides a fascinating look at the many different forms of writing which have been called 'poetry'-from the Greeks to the present day.

As well as questioning what poetry is, he asks what poetry is for, and considers contemporary debates on its value.

Is there a universality to poetry? And does it have a duty of public utility and responsibility? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area.

These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly.

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