Books › All the fun's in how you say a thing
All the fun's in how you say a thing
First published 1999 · 366 pages
A lively, illuminating exploration of the mechanics and magic behind the traditions of English poetry.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in a masterclass with a deeply passionate and articulate professor who genuinely wants you to hear the music of language. It moves at a steady, engaging pace, balancing the technical intricacies of meter, rhyme, and stanza with a lively appreciation for the sheer beauty of verse. The mood is intellectually stimulating yet warmly accessible, stripping away the intimidation of formal prosody to reveal the beating heart of English poetry from Chaucer to the modern era. The prose is clear and instructive, never losing sight of the fundamental pleasures that fine poems offer. It is a deeply rewarding experience for aspiring poets, literature students, and any reader who wants to understand exactly how words harmonize to create lasting meaning.
- Mood
- intellectually stimulating
- reverent
- contemplative
- Tone
- lively
- scholarly
- appreciative
- instructive
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the craft of language · rhythm and form · literary tradition · the mechanics of beauty
- The writing
- Clear, lively, and instructive, balancing technical prosody with an evident love for the fundamental pleasures of fine poetry.
- The arc
- Moves from a foundational curiosity about poetic structure to a deep, joyful appreciation of language's musicality and meaning.
- Who it's for
- General readers of poetry, literature students, teachers, and aspiring poets who want to understand the mechanics behind the magic of verse.
About the book
Written by one of our best contemporary practitioners of traditional poetic form, All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing is a lively and comprehensive study on the forms and traditions of English poetry. Perfect for the general reader of poetry, students and teachers of literature, and aspiring poets, Steele's book emphasizes both the coherence and the diversity of English metrical practice from Chaucer's time to our own.
He explains how poets harmonize the fixed units of meter and the variable flow of idiomatic speech, and examines the ways in which poets have used meter, rhyme, and stanza to communicate and enhance meaning. Steele illuminates as well many practical, theoretical, and historical issues in English prosody without ever losing sight of the fundamental pleasures, beauties, and insights that fine poems offer us.
Description from Open Library.
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