Thursday, January 24, 2013

Why poetry should sound good even if it's never spoken

Yes, that's right.

Poetry should--poetry MUST--sound good. Even if it's never read aloud.

Why, you ask?

Well, just read this nice sciency article on how we read "silently."

It's not terribly new information (though this study may be a more definitive presentation than previous speculations) but it's terribly important to remember:

When we read we speak internally. Poetry is inherently an aural art form. We cannot forget this.

1 comment:

Notes from a Virtual Easel said...

Yes, I agree. One of the jobs of poetry is to help people become more conscious of the language that organizes their lives--the sound of it, the structure of it, and the rich connotative aura of each and every word. Like a great painting, a poem should invite the reader back time and again to find resonance with different experiences.