11-22-2012, 03:37 AM
I am of the opinion that the division between poetry and prose is at best described as ambiguous. Both are used as a form of communication.
I suppose the traditional view of prose is that of, communication which is straightforward, in that it does not employ any deliberate literary techniques or devises, other that those of the language used (with perhaps the exception, of where the art of debate is employed). The intellectual merit of a piece of prose can therefore be directly linked to the command of vocabulary and the depth of experience of address, within the ability and knowledge any given the writer.
Poetry on the other hand, is generally considered as a form of literary art in its own right and as such is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning. Poetry by use of deliberate intent and use of various recognised artistic devises emphasises relationships between words on the basis of sound as well as meaning. As such poetry can be highly subjective both in its creation and its interpretation, in terms of what can correctly be attributed as of merit. So whilst some of the traditional and more rigid forms of poetry might be qualitative in terms of the adherence to the defined structure, other forms of poetry allow for a wider margin of accreditation and as such the intellectual / educational background of the writer is not necessarily so directly linked to the merit of a piece of poetry.
This appraisal then applied to our original question, it becomes easier to perceive that the line of demarcation is likely to be far from clear. Given the creative and artistic licence that poetry exists within, the drift from one form to another, is in my opinion, behest in the eye of the individual.
quick pause while I go and look up some ideas on verse because I was thinking perhaps verse was a term used in a negative way to describe poorly written poetry....but this sounds like a uninformed comment / idea I have picked up along the way.
Ok..so found some quick one line thoughts to chew over:
Verse is not great art, nor is it trying to be.
It is poetry writen in the persuit of limited objectives.
Verse tells us something we already know.
Verse does not seek to know the unknown or to express the unexpected.
but i'm not sure i'm any nearer really bein able to see the difference in verse or poetry if it was presented to me.
I suppose the traditional view of prose is that of, communication which is straightforward, in that it does not employ any deliberate literary techniques or devises, other that those of the language used (with perhaps the exception, of where the art of debate is employed). The intellectual merit of a piece of prose can therefore be directly linked to the command of vocabulary and the depth of experience of address, within the ability and knowledge any given the writer.
Poetry on the other hand, is generally considered as a form of literary art in its own right and as such is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning. Poetry by use of deliberate intent and use of various recognised artistic devises emphasises relationships between words on the basis of sound as well as meaning. As such poetry can be highly subjective both in its creation and its interpretation, in terms of what can correctly be attributed as of merit. So whilst some of the traditional and more rigid forms of poetry might be qualitative in terms of the adherence to the defined structure, other forms of poetry allow for a wider margin of accreditation and as such the intellectual / educational background of the writer is not necessarily so directly linked to the merit of a piece of poetry.
This appraisal then applied to our original question, it becomes easier to perceive that the line of demarcation is likely to be far from clear. Given the creative and artistic licence that poetry exists within, the drift from one form to another, is in my opinion, behest in the eye of the individual.
quick pause while I go and look up some ideas on verse because I was thinking perhaps verse was a term used in a negative way to describe poorly written poetry....but this sounds like a uninformed comment / idea I have picked up along the way.
Ok..so found some quick one line thoughts to chew over:
Verse is not great art, nor is it trying to be.
It is poetry writen in the persuit of limited objectives.
Verse tells us something we already know.
Verse does not seek to know the unknown or to express the unexpected.
but i'm not sure i'm any nearer really bein able to see the difference in verse or poetry if it was presented to me.