Poetry/Contemporary: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Mutu-fruit.jpg|thumb|400px|''Forbidden Fruit Picker'', Wangechi Mutu, 2015.]]
{{dc|P}}{{start|oetry after World War II}} is often referred to as the "post-war" or "contemporary" period.  
After World War II.


<blockquote>
{{Collapse top|title=General Characteristics|bg=#F0F2F5|left=yes}}
{{Big|Margaret Atwood}}
Some general characteristics of contemporary poetry include:
* “[[November 13, 2017|Circe, Mud Poems]]” (excerpt)


{{Big|Gwendolyn Brooks}}
* Interest in the individual: Like modernist poetry, post-war English poetry places a strong emphasis on the individual, their experiences, and their emotions.
* “[[May 23, 2020|Primer For Blacks]]”
* Rejection of traditional forms: Post-war poets often rejected traditional forms of poetry and experimented with new forms, including free verse, prose poetry, and visual poetry.
* “[[May 30, 2020#Cool|We Real Cool]]”
* Political and social commentary: Post-war poetry frequently engages with political and social issues of the time, such as the Cold War, civil rights, and feminism.
* Confessional poetry: Some post-war poets, such as Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell, wrote confessional poetry that explores their own personal struggles, often with mental illness or family issues.
* Use of irony and humor: Post-war poetry often employs irony and humor to critique the social and political status quo.
* Interest in language and sound: Post-war poets often experiment with language, using sound, rhythm, and wordplay to create new effects and meanings.
* Eclectic influences: Post-war poets draw from a wide range of literary and cultural influences, including modernism, surrealism, jazz, and popular culture.


{{Big|Constantine Cavafy}}
These characteristics are not exhaustive, and there is considerable variety and diversity within post-war poetry. However, they provide a sense of some of the key features of the period.
* “[[June 14, 2003|And I Lounged and Lay on Their Beds]]”
{{Collapse bottom}}
* “[[July 23, 2003|Ithaka]]”
{{FH}}
<div style="display: flex; justify-content: center; padding: 25px 0 25px 0;">
{| style="width: 80%;"
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Maya Angelou}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[February 23, 2023|Still I Rise]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Margaret Atwood}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[November 13, 2017|Circe, Mud Poems]]” (excerpt)}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Gwendolyn Brooks}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[May 23, 2020|Primer For Blacks]]”|“[[May 30, 2020#Cool|We Real Cool]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Charles Bukowski}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[The Laughing Heart]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Constantine Cavafy}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[June 14, 2003|And I Lounged and Lay on Their Beds]]”|“[[July 23, 2003|Ithaka]]”}}
| [[File:Konstantinos Kavafis.jpg|thumb|200px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Lucille Clifton}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[June 16, 2020#Hips|homage to my hips]]”|“[[June 16, 2020#Visions|seeker of visions]]”|“[[June 16, 2020|won’t you celebrate with me]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Allen Ginsburg}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[November 9, 2020#Ginsberg|New Democracy Wish List]]”}}
|
[[File:Allen Ginsberg 1979 - cropped.jpg|thumb|200px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Audre Lord}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[February 15, 2023|Who Said It Was Simple]]”}}
| [[File:Audre Lorde.jpg|thumb|200px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Philip Larkin}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[May 15, 1996|The Mower]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Robert Lowell}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[November 15, 2020|Waking Early Sunday Morning]]”}}
| [[File:Robert-lowell-by-elsa-dorfman (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Edna St. Vincent Millay}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[April 1, 2018|April]]”}}
| [[File:Edna St. Vincent Millay Portrait (c. 1920).jpg|thumb|200px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Adrienne Rich}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[Diving Into the Wreck]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Carl Sandberg}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[June 29, 2003|Choose]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Patricia Smith}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[February 13, 2023|10-Year-Old Shot Three Times, but She’s Fine]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Mark Strand}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="3" |{{bulleted list|“[[June 20, 2003|Keeping Things Whole]]”|“[[June 20, 2003#Eating|Eating Poetry]]”}}
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Line}}
|- style="font-align: left;"
| colspan="3" | {{Big|Derek Walcott}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| colspan="2" |{{bulleted list|“[[June 24, 2003|Journey]]”}}
| [[File:Derek Walcott.jpg|thumb|200px]]
|}</div>


{{Big|Lucille Clifton}}
* “[[June 16, 2020#Hips|homage to my hips]]”
* “[[June 16, 2020#Visions|seeker of visions]]”
* “[[June 16, 2020|won’t you celebrate with me]]”
{{Big|Allen Ginsburg}}
* “[[November 9, 2020|New Democracy Wish List]]”
{{Big|Philip Larkin}}
* “[[May 15, 1996|The Mower]]”
{{Big|Edna St. Vincent Millay}}
* “[[April 1, 2018|April]]”
{{Big|Carl Sandberg}}
* “[[June 29, 2003|Choose]]”
{{Big|Mark Strand}}
* “[[June 20, 2003|Keeping Things Whole]]”
* “[[June 20, 2003#Eating|Eating Poetry]]”
{{Big|Derek Walcott}}
* “[[June 24, 2003|Journey]]”
</blockquote>
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Poetry]]
[[Category:Poetry]]
[[Category:Contemporary]]
[[Category:Contemporary]]

Latest revision as of 11:34, 27 February 2024

Poetry after World War II is often referred to as the "post-war" or "contemporary" period.

General Characteristics

Some general characteristics of contemporary poetry include:

  • Interest in the individual: Like modernist poetry, post-war English poetry places a strong emphasis on the individual, their experiences, and their emotions.
  • Rejection of traditional forms: Post-war poets often rejected traditional forms of poetry and experimented with new forms, including free verse, prose poetry, and visual poetry.
  • Political and social commentary: Post-war poetry frequently engages with political and social issues of the time, such as the Cold War, civil rights, and feminism.
  • Confessional poetry: Some post-war poets, such as Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell, wrote confessional poetry that explores their own personal struggles, often with mental illness or family issues.
  • Use of irony and humor: Post-war poetry often employs irony and humor to critique the social and political status quo.
  • Interest in language and sound: Post-war poets often experiment with language, using sound, rhythm, and wordplay to create new effects and meanings.
  • Eclectic influences: Post-war poets draw from a wide range of literary and cultural influences, including modernism, surrealism, jazz, and popular culture.

These characteristics are not exhaustive, and there is considerable variety and diversity within post-war poetry. However, they provide a sense of some of the key features of the period.

Calligraphic-swirls-flourishes-6.png
Maya Angelou

Margaret Atwood

Gwendolyn Brooks

Charles Bukowski

Constantine Cavafy
Konstantinos Kavafis.jpg

Lucille Clifton

Allen Ginsburg
Allen Ginsberg 1979 - cropped.jpg

Audre Lord
Audre Lorde.jpg

Philip Larkin

Robert Lowell
Robert-lowell-by-elsa-dorfman (cropped).jpg

Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay Portrait (c. 1920).jpg

Adrienne Rich

Carl Sandberg

Patricia Smith

Mark Strand

Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott.jpg