20 Poets on the Meaning of Poetry We’ve been thinking about poet Meena Alexander’s incredible address to the Yale Political Union, in which she refers to Shelley’s 1821 essay, A Defence of Poetry. The English poet’s work famously stated, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Alexander concludes: “The poem is an invention that exists in spite of history… In a time of violence, the task of poetry is in some way to reconcile us to our world and to allow us a measure of tenderness and grace with which to exist… Poetry’s task is to reconcile us to the world — not to accept it at face value or to assent to things that are wrong, but to reconcile one in a larger sense, to return us in love, the province of the imagination, to the scope of our mortal lives.” Other poets have attempted to interpret “what is deeply felt and is essentially unsayable.” Here are a few brief definitions of poetry by famous poets. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Poetry Editor & Poetry: 10 Ways to Read a Poem 1. Get comfy and enjoy your first reading. Relax into the experience without trying to analyze anything. 2. Read the poem again, this time aloud. 10 Sci Fi and Fantasy Works Every Conservative Should Read The left-wing science fiction writer China Miéville has compiled a list of “50 Sci Fi and Fantasy Works Every Socialist Should Read.” As a longtime reader of speculative and ”weird” fiction and qualified admirer of Miéville’s work, I thought it would be fun to offer a companion list for conservatives. I’m not suggesting that these books express conservative views as such. Ten Great Conservative Novels A few months ago, a professor e-mailed with a simple question: What are the great conservative novels? He was preparing a course on the history of American conservatism and wanted to include some fiction on his syllabus. I proposed a few titles, but his question lingered in my mind. So I asked readers of National Review Online for their suggestions. I also canvassed several experts on American literature.
Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies At one time or another, when face-to-face with a poem, most everyone has been perplexed. The experience of reading a poem itself is as likely to turn us off, intellectually or emotionally, as it is to move us. Unless patronized by celebrities, set to music, accompanied by visuals, or penned by our own children, poems do a terrible job of marketing themselves. All those ragged lines and affected white spaces make them appear as though they should be treated only as pieces of solemn art.
How to Read a Poem Reproduced in partnership with the Great Books Foundation. Reading poetry well is part attitude and part technique. Curiosity is a useful attitude, especially when it’s free of preconceived ideas about what poetry is or should be. Free books: 100 legal sites to download literature The Classics Browse works by Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and other famous authors here. Classic Bookshelf: This site has put classic novels online, from Charles Dickens to Charlotte Bronte.The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania hosts this book search and database.Project Gutenberg: This famous site has over 27,000 free books online.Page by Page Books: Find books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells, as well as speeches from George W. Bush on this site.Classic Book Library: Genres here include historical fiction, history, science fiction, mystery, romance and children’s literature, but they’re all classics.Classic Reader: Here you can read Shakespeare, young adult fiction and more.Read Print: From George Orwell to Alexandre Dumas to George Eliot to Charles Darwin, this online library is stocked with the best classics.Planet eBook: Download free classic literature titles here, from Dostoevsky to D.H. Textbooks
25 sources of free public domain books This is an updated list of sites that offer free public domain books in electronic and audio format. Every year new publications enter public domain. That means their intellectual property rights have expired or are not applicable any longer. Classic Authors.net / Great Literature Online Poetry Society of America Tor.com - Science fiction & Fantasy Blog, Books, Stories, News, Forum Classic Short Stories Letters of Note Great Books and Classics