What Is Poetry?: Language And Memory In The Poems Of The World

This passage discusses the definition and importance of poetry, as well as its various components and functions. The author argues that poetry is a valuable way of using language, and provides examples from different cultures to support this claim. The book is recommended for students and researchers in literature, linguistics, and psychology, as well as anyone interested in poetry.

Poetry, defined as language divided into lines, is found in most known human cultures. This masterful survey of poetry and its constituent components demonstrates the functions performed by metre, rhyme, alliteration and parallelism, arguing that each line of a poem fits as a whole unit into the limited capacity of human working memory. Using examples from around the world, Fabb surveys the wide varieties of poetry and the ways they are performed, including those in songs and signed literatures. Focusing on language, form and memory, he helps us understand why poetry is a particularly valued way of using language. A fresh exploration of poetry, the book will be welcomed by students and researchers of literature, linguistics and psychology, as well as anyone interested in poetry.