Close Listening brings together seventeen strikingly original essays; especially written for this volume; on the poetry reading; the sound of poetry; and the visual performance of poetry. While the performance of poetry is as old as poetry itself; critical attention to modern and postmodern poetry performance has been surprisingly slight. This volume; featuring work by critics and poets such as Marjorie Perloff; Susan Stewart; Johanna Drucker; Dennis Tedlock; and Susan Howe; is the first comprehensive introduction to the ways in which twentieth-century poetry has been practiced as a performance art. From the performance styles of individual poets and types of poetry to the relation of sound to meaning; from historical and social approaches to poetry readings to new imaginations of prosody; the entries gathered here investigate a compelling range of topics for anyone interested in poetry. Taken together; these essays encourage new forms of "close listenings"--not only to the printed text of poems but also to tapes; performances; and other expressions of the sounded and visualized word. The time is right for such a volume: with readings; spoken word events; and the Web gaining an increasing audience for poetry; Close Listening opens a number of new avenues for the critical discussion of the sound and performance of poetry.
#830069 in eBooks 2011-05-13 2011-05-13File Name: B0053GN9MM
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