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honeypielovesbooksnthebeatles's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
This was really interesting and informative. I’m surprised I liked it. It’s taught me more about poetry. And made me want to read more poetry, well actually start reading any poetry because I was not reading any poetry before
marysiacrisafio's review against another edition
3.0
I found this to be a compelling essay which explored our universal disagreement over the importance of poetry. Lerner discusses the basis of hate and the differing ways in which we value literature. I would recommend this to any poetry enthusiasts or literary critics as it's ideas are fascinating and charming.
skoppelkam's review
4.0
I love when something is this smart and this completely unpretentious. Lerner is clear and graceful in an argument about the impossibility of poetry (and art in general), an argument that is both complex and stunningly simple. Not quite sure what to make of his marginalia, but they frequently made me laugh and crystallized the points they accompanied.
bartlebybleaney's review
3.0
Interesting way of looking at poetry, and resonates with some thoughts and feelings about poetry that I've found in myself, but ultimately loses itself in typically self-loathing nonsense.
kylefwill's review
4.0
A really good critique of critiques of poetry, but part of its main thesis—where great Poetry only exists in the negative—is that great poets make reference towards the impossibility of great Poetry by acknowledging/making space for the virtual. I find this tendency of bemoaning the impossibility of actual language, most of the time, really fucking annoying. It's incredibly difficult for me to feel any sympathy for something who says "I can't find the words." I would rather they just keep on not finding any words than pulling out the garbage of words explaining their lack of words.