Reviews

An Introduction to Poetry by X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia

smuds2's review against another edition

3.0

I did not actually finish this book, so not rating it. Also not qualified enough to even rate it as a textbook.

It was very approachable. Also had a lot of good exercises. I got from the library, so I feel like I just had to speed read the actual content. I will probably but the cheapest edition I can and just do individual prompts and what not as a brain train.

_bookmoth's review against another edition

4.0

This is book I would have wanted when I studied English Language and Literature. It has a wide variety of poems, discusses all the basic concepts of poetic analysis, discusses the different kinds of criticisms (historic, deconstructionist, etc.)., and tells the reader how to write proper essays. This book is a gem to have for anyone who would like to know more about analysing poetry.

lukescalone's review against another edition

3.0

I worked my way through the first, 1966, edition of this book (which I sadly can't find here on Goodreads). While I'm sure more recent editions are much better than this, I have to say that I liked [b:Art of Poetry Writing|467125|Art of Poetry Writing|William Packard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311980289l/467125._SY75_.jpg|455490] a bit more--it seemed to have more life to it. The good thing about Kennedy's book, on the other hand, is the inclusion of many more poems with exercises attached to them, as well as a nice anthology in the back of the text.

pturnbull's review

5.0

Am putting this aside for now. It is an excellent introduction to poetry and explores in great depth the elements of poetry and how different poets have either broken or used them. I recommend that beginning poets purchase a copy. As a textbook, there are many editions, so just buy whichever secondhand copy comes your way. There's something enjoyable about these discussions. It will whet your appetite for poetry rather than kill it with boredom.