A Study Guide for Marianne Moore's "Poetry"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Marianne Moore's "Poetry," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Aug 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535831017

Book preview

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Poetry

Marianne Moore

1919

Introduction

The poem Poetry was first published in a literary journal in 1919. Later, it was included in three of Moore's books: Observations, Collected Poems, and Complete Poems. The poem varies in length with each publication, changing from thirteen lines to almost forty lines, and then to three lines, respectively. In Poetry, the speaker opens the poem by claiming that she dislikes … all this fiddle—meaning poetry. In a tone that is both authoritative and witty, the speaker then goes on to develop her argument, carefully cataloging many of poetry's shortcomings. Occasionally, she illustrates her logic by using carefully chosen images. The speaker says that one of poetry's biggest flaws occurs when it lacks genuineness. She insists that poetry should combine both imagination and reality. She illustrates this point by saying that true poetry is able to present imaginary gardens with real toads in them. This metaphor has become one of the most widely cited metaphors for poetry. Ironically, through the speaker's exploration of what is derivative and unintelligible in poetry, this poem proves the merits of poetry. It offers the very model of what genuine poetry is, and it exemplifies how valuable good poetry can