Practical Poetry Criticism: Form

When starting to criticize a poem, perhaps the first thing to consider is the form of the poem. One of the principal ways in which poetry differs from prose is that it matters how the words appear on the page. Prose can be reformatted, re-designed and reprinted in other media and it does not usually make any significant difference – this is definitely not the case with poetry. So, begin criticism with the acknowledgement that it is poetry that is being considered by describing the form.

First, therefore, describe the way in which the different lines and stanzas (or verses) are organized. How many lines are there and how many different verses? Does the arrangement of lines look regular and precise or is it ragged and unusual? In some cases, the poem will be organized to provide a definite visual element – think, for example, of George Herbert’s poem about angels which is designed to look like an angel in outline, with wings and limbs attached. Does the poem make any kind of statement of this sort or does it rely upon being a standard, conventional form? In any case, it is possible to point out whether the poem as arranged on the page makes the reader want to read it or whether it seems to be difficult or forbidding.

Second, is it possible to identify the form used? Based on the number of lines and the rhyming scheme, the reader should be able to identify the various types of sonnet and the rhyming couplets of the epic verse used by Milton in Paradise Lost. Most poems with regular verse structure from the past can be considered songs: look at the individual verses and try to work out the verse-chorus structure each one offers. If a poem is designed to be sung, then it must make sense for a person listening to it and not reading it. It should have, in short, a good and clearly understandable story in addition to whatever other poetic elements might be found. There should also be a regular rhythm to the work to make it convenient for a person to sing sweetly and fluently. Poems which may be sung will only very rarely have any interesting visual aspects to describe.

Modern poetry tends to be less structured and regular than poetry from the past and to avoid the basic standard forms (e.g. sonnet and verse). This is usually deliberate because it aims to represent a world or a society in which people are more aware of the disjunctions, contradictions and anomalies of living in the contemporary world. Describe, therefore, the form of this kind of poem simply but accurately and then think about what might be the purpose of choosing such a form (and be assured that good poets will have thought about the form of their poems in considerable detail).