James Fenton: Poetry

James Fenton is poet. Explore interesting quotes on poetry.

James Fenton: 34 quotes2 likes

“Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse is a crash course in villanelles, sestinas and other such fixed forms. But most…are rare in English poetry. Few poets have written a villanelle worth reading, or indeed regret not having done so.”

Source: An Introduction to English Poetry (2002), Ch. 3: The Training of the Poet (p. 21)

“Poetry is not a metrical exercise.”

An Introduction to English Poetry, Viking Penguin, London 2002 ISBN 0141004398

“Poetry carries its history within it, and it is oral in its origins, its transmission was oral.”

An Introduction to English Poetry, Viking Penguin, London 2002 ISBN 0141004398