“Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse is a crash course in villanelles, sestinas and other such fixed forms. But most... are rare in English poetry. Few poets have written a villanelle worth reading, or indeed regret not having done so.” BelieveDoneTodayFormCoursesReadingWrittenModernPoetRegretAlternativesFixedAssumptionVersesCrashRhymeWorth ReadingFree VerseModern PoetryEnglish Poetry Author:James Fenton
“What happened to poetry in the twentieth century was that it began to be written for the page.” WrittenHappenedCenturyPagesTwentieth Century Author:James Fenton
“A cabaret song has got to be written - for the middle voice, ideally - because you've got to hear the wit of the words. And a cabaret song gives the singer room to act, more even than an opera singer.” GivingSongVoiceRoomsWrittenMiddleSingersWitOperaOpera SingersCabaret Author:James Fenton
“Lyric poetry is, of course, musical in origin. I do know that what happened to poetry in the twentieth century was that it began to be written for the page. When it's a question of typography, why not? Poets have done beautiful things with typography - Apollinaire's 'Calligrammes,' that sort of thing.” KnowsDoneBeautifulCoursesWrittenHappenedCenturyPoetPagesMusicalPoetry IsWhy NotBeautiful ThingsTwentieth CenturyTypographyLyric Poetry Author:James Fenton
