N EW F ORMALISTS 1980s - present

Sought to draw attention back to traditional forms of poetry: meter, rhyme, and stanzaic symmetry Disheartened by what they saw as “abandoned principles” of poetry, they celebrated traditions, aesthetics and practices they believed had been abandoned by their contemporaries

"It is no surprise that the most significant development in recent American poetry has been a resurgence of meter and rhyme, as well as narrative, among large numbers of young poets, after a period when these essential elements of verse had been suppressed.” - Mark Jarman and David Mason

P RACTICE A NALYZING N EW F ORMALIST P OEMS 1. Structure: what do you notice about the structure of the poem (meter, stanza structure, rhyme scheme)? How does the structure reflect New Formalism? 2. What is the tone of the poem? Circle the words that reflect this tone (keeping in mind that tone might change over the course of a poem: it could start with one tone and shift to another). 3. Using your notes on the structure and tone, investigate the message/purpose of the poem. List 2- 3 poetic devices that the poet uses and explain how these devices support the message/purpose. Rather than using your glossary, look at what you have already circled/annotated to see what the poet is doing. Read the poem aloud with your partner, and then read it once through silently to yourself. Working together, respond to the following questions, taking notes next to the poem. You will be responsible for sharing your notes with the other group at your table, so be thoughtful and thorough!