Sometimes it seems like there are as many definitions of poetry as there are poems. Coleridge defined poetry as the best words in the best order." St. Augustine called it "the Devils wine." For Shelley poetry was "the record of the best & happiest moments of the happiest & best minds." But no matter how you define it poetry has exercised a hold upon the hearts & minds of people for more than five millennia. Thats because for the attentive reader poetry has the power to send chills shooting down the spine & lightning bolts flashing in the brain
- to throw open the doors of perception & hone our sensibilities to a scalpels edge. Poetry For Dummies is a great guide to reading & writing poems not only for beginners but for anyone interested in verse. From Homer to Basho Chaucer to Rumi Shelley to Ginsberg it introduces you to poetrys greatest practitioners. It arms you with the tools you need to understand & appreciate poetry in all its forms & to explore your own talent as a poet. Discover how to: * Understand poetic language & forms * Interpret poems * Get a handle on poetry through the ages * Find poetry readings near you * Write your own poems * Shop your work around to publishers Dont know the difference between an iamb & a trochee? Worry not this friendly guide demystifies the jargon & it covers a lot more ground besides including: * Understanding subject tone narrative; & poetic language * Mastering the three steps to interpretation * Facing the challenges of older poetry * Exploring 5 000 years of verse from Mesopotamia to the global village * Writing open-form poetry * Working with traditional forms of verse * Writing exercises for aspiring poets * Getting published From Sappho to Clark Coolidge & just about everyone in between Poetry For Dummies puts you in touch with the greats of modern & ancient poetry. Need guidance on composing a ghazal a tanka a sestina or a psalm? This is the book for you."
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The Poetry Handbook" is a lucid & entertaining guide to the poet's craft & an invaluable introduction to practical criticism for students. Chapters on each element of poetry from metre to gender offer a wide-ranging general account & end by looking at two or three poems from a small group (including works by Donne Elizabeth Bishop Geoffrey Hill & Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott) to build up sustained analytical readings. Thorough & compact with notes "ations supplemented by detailed reference to the Norton Anthology of Poetry & a companion website with texts links & further discussion The Poetry Handbook is indispensable for all school & undergraduate students of English. A final chapter addresses examinations of all kinds & sample essays by undergraduates are posted on the website. Critical & scholarly terms are italicised & clearly explained both in the text & in a complete glossary; the volume also

Includes:: suggestions for further reading. The first edition widely praised by teachers & students showed how the pleasures of poetry are heightened by rigorous understanding & made that understanding readily available. This second edition
- revised expanded updated & supported by a new companion website
- confirm " The Poetry Handbook" as the best guide to poetry available in English."



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One of the UKs most exciting up-&-coming hip-hop artists Scroobius Pip is a master of the spoken word lyric. From his childhood musings in the school playground to his feelings on the rat race Pip has selected from his online fan collective artistic collaborations that bring the power of his lyrics to the printed page creating an innovative multimedia collection of modern poetry. ...

This is a feast for lovers of American literature. No poet is more emblematically American than Robert Frost. Hailed as the most eminent the most distinguished Anglo-American poet" by T.S. Eliot he is the only writer in history to have been awarded four Pulitzer Prizes. In iconic poems like " Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" simple images summon the rural landscape of New England & Frost unfailingly moves the reader with his profound grasp of the human condition. This is the most comprehensive & authoritative volume of Frosts verse available comprising all eleven volumes of his poems meticulously edited by Edward Connery Lathem." ...

Simon Armitage is one of the leading poets of his generation. Since his first collection Zoom" in 1989 he has published ten full-length collections of poetry while also writing & presenting numerous works for radio television & film. He is now one of the poets most widely studied at GCSE examination level. This study guide to Simon Armitages poetry will be essential reading & preparation for GCSE students & their teachers to whose needs it has been expertly tailored. The book examines Armitages work in just the ways that students need to think about it
- in respect of how the poems are crafted in language & form & the kinds of themes ideas & attitudes that they reflect. It also

Includes:: sections on studying individual poems for the examination an illuminating biography with questions & answers & sample essays."


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Investigations into the accidental" deaths of two of the world's most powerful men have revealed just one link: both had a son attending Point Blanc Academy
- an exclusive school for rebellious rich kids run by the sinister Dr Grief & set high on an isolated mountain peak in the French Alps. Armed only with a false ID & a new collection of brilliantly disguised gadgets Alex must infiltrate the academy as a pupil & establish the truth about what is really happening there."
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Investigations into the accidental" deaths of two of the worlds most powerful men have revealed just one link: both had a son attending Point Blanc Academy a school for rebellious rich kids run by the sinister Dr Grief & set high in the French Alps. Armed with a new collection of gadgets Alex must infiltrate the academy as a pupil & establish the truth about what is really happening there... Featuring full-colour action-packed Manga-style art this graphic novel is ideal for encouraging reluctant readers." ...

This is a stylish new edition of the acclaimed graphic novel adaptation of Alex Rider's second thrilling mission. Investigations into the accidental" deaths of two of the world's most powerful men have revealed just one link: both had a son attending Point Blanc Academy a school for rebellious rich kids run by the sinister Dr Grief & set high in the French Alps. Armed with a new collection of gadgets Alex must infiltrate the academy as a pupil & establish the truth about what is really happening there. This title features full-colour action-packed manga-style art. Following the triumphant international publication of " Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel" the whole Alex Rider graphic novel series has gained wide recognition among reviewers fans & literacy experts. With literacy levels among children in the UK lower than ever this is a series of books that may offer an accessible & compelling alternative for otherwise reluctant readers." ...

The hunted becomes the hunter. Meet Parker the ultimate professional. Parker is a master thief & a man with a heart of steel. He believes in the oldest law of all
- a life for a life. His one-time partner Mal tried to pull a fast one making off with Parkers share of the takings after a successful heist as well as his Parkers wife Lynn. Big mistake. They thought they had left him for dead but Parker survived their bullets & now hes out for revenge & prepared to do whatever it takes. The prey has become the hunter & now Parker is stalking them leaving a trail of carnage in his wake. Haunting & brutal Point Blank" was made into the cult classic movie starring Lee Marvin & remains one of the most distinctive crime thrillers ever written."
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You may be fluent in many languages but sometimes you could find yourself off the beaten track" where you can't communicate. " Point it" with 1300 items to point at is the answer. Everyone in the world will understand you. This passport-sized assistant is used not only by tourists but also by UN peacekeeping forces Olympic athletes & speech therapists. The book is the result of the author's extensive travels in the five continents" ...