Sometimes I have thought that a song should look disappointing on the page - a little thin, perhaps, a little repetitive, or a little on the obvious side, or a mixture of all of these things. James Fenton disappointmixtureobvious Change image and share on social
The iambic line, with its characteristic forward movement from short to long, or light to heavy, or unstressed to stressed, is the quintessential measure of English verse. James Fenton characteristicenglishforward Change image and share on social
A poem with grandly conceived and executed stanzas, such as one of Keats's odes, should be like an enfilade of rooms in a palace: one proceeds, with eager anticipation, from room to room. James Fenton anticipationconceiveeager Change image and share on social
Nobody really knows whether they are a poet. I knew I was interested from the age of 15. James Fenton ageinterestknow Change image and share on social
At somewhere around 10 syllables, the English poetic line is at its most relaxed and manageable. James Fenton englishlinemanageable Change image and share on social
Working alone on a poem, a poet is of all artists the most free. The poem can be written with a modicum of technology, and can be published, in most cases, quite cheaply. James Fenton artistcasecheaply Change image and share on social
English poetry begins whenever we decide to say the modern English language begins, and it extends as far as we decide to say that the English language extends. James Fenton begindecideenglish Change image and share on social
'What is this', and 'How is this done?' are the first two questions to ask of any work of art. The second question immediately illuminates the first, but it often doesn't get asked. Perhaps it sounds too technical. Perhaps it sounds pedestrian. James Fenton artaskilluminate share on social
Metrics are not a device for restraining the mad, any more than 'open form' or free verse is a prairie where a man can do all kinds of manly things in a state of wholesome unrestrictedness. James Fenton deviceformfree Change image and share on social
The voice is raised, and that is where poetry begins. And even today, in the prolonged aftermath of modernism, in places where 'open form' or free verse is the orthodoxy, you will find a memory of that raising of the voice in the term 'heightened speech.' James Fenton aftermathbeginfind share on social
