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Interesting Article on Poetry and the Brain
It's a bit of a heavy read but interesting.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/article/240250
~Arrow
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Comments
themoonman
Tue, 2014-07-08 04:45
Thank you,
I highly recommend everyone to read this!
very informative,
Richard
eightmenout
Wed, 2014-07-09 14:05
Arrow
Thanks for posting this. It indeed was a very intriguing read
Scott
Scott
weirdelf
Tue, 2014-07-15 17:43
Fascinating! Even imperative.
"What happens if I press this button" could be either the epitaph or the the making of the human race.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
scribbler
Tue, 2014-07-15 23:08
Just read
The first part of this article carefully and skimmed the rest of it having realized I was too tired to soak in all it has to say.
The thing that sticks out the most to me so far is the statement that many deem poetry and metaphor to be incompatible with science. I think this is totally wrong . Metaphor is the method of transferring information bu comparing one thing to another. One of the many basic theorems in geometry is stated thus : If A=C and C=D then A=D. this is clearly a bare metaphor.
Then comes the section about poetry beginning to be seen as irrelevant to most people. This is likely due to a number of factors. I think that largest reason for this is that we, as poets, tend to write to and mainly for other poets. We thus assume that All readers want to read poetry in which they have to delve deeply in order to find the "real" meaning of a poem. And then there's the "rhyme doesn't matter" school.
We must all start to realize that poetry can only be relevant and thus prosper if it's being read by large numbers on non-poets. And most casual readers either don't want to or don't have time to sit around trying to find a deeply hidden meaning within a poem. Likewise if you ask a member of "Joe public" to recite a poem, how many do you know who will recite a non rhyming poem? And even fewer will recite a minimalist poem.
I think that the reason non traditional poetry is the main thing being written these days has more to do with writers than readers. And just sitting around reading or writing poetry which is mostly only appreciated by Other Poets is Not the way to bring poetry back to the level it had in the past.
Well I'm going to bed now but i intend to give the article here further time and attention. It DESERVES all of us paying attention to it........stan
weirdelf
Wed, 2014-07-16 06:40
valid points, mostly, Stan
but the statement "If A=C and C=D then A=D. this is clearly a bare metaphor. " is simply untrue. It is logic, not metaphor. Metaphors can only approximate an idea or image. Maths is truth, inarguable and un-dismissable.
As for our audience you make very valid points. If one writes only for oneself why post anywhere? That is not Neopot's purpose though. We are a poetry workshop helping each other to make out works accessible to our chosen demographic, be it lovers of rhyming nonsense, through sharing experience to to deeply literary poetic craftworks.
Choose your demographic then let Neopoet help your make it work.
Of course you can always change your demographic. I have several.
One mistake you keep making in your general agenda is "memorisable" for "memorable". Who could memorise TS Eliot's "The Hollow Men", but who could forget it?
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
scribbler
Wed, 2014-07-16 11:02
LOL
I was using the A=D thing as a metaphor of the similarity between hard science and metaphors and also explaining that most learning is accomplished by starting out with a known quantity the comparing what is known to what is desired to be learned. It's the ol' A is for apple type thing.
To add to that line of thought both hard science and poetry require an organized mind to be done well.Both have structure which are improved upon on added to in order to progress.
I think society is in a stage right now that being memoriseable is more important than being vaguely memorable. How else explain the success of rap? At one point people would actually use quoted poetry in their everyday life in quoting it in conversation or written correspondences. When was the last time you heard somebody who hasn't formally studied poetry use a poetry quotation in real life?
To thrive we writers have to produce poetry which is both relatible to "everyman" and easy enough to read that at least parts of it can be easily recalled. I don't claim to know how all this can be done but a good start might be for All poets to stop writing all of their stuff as if only another poet might read it......stan
lovedly
Wed, 2014-07-16 14:07
very nice
The books metaphorical
I think the whole book is there.... but my mind picked up only poetry..... Where metaphors speak and die..... the trees bear fruits and are reborn.....seeds and leaves die... leaving an impression that last year they were there. But human beings can only boast ....of luck
knowledge and experience
The earlier reference spoke of mind and brain,
brain derived from genes
mind its consequence
both articles provoke the human mind
where in this universe
can one find
an entity in which all things combine,
except in egos of mankind!