It feels very good to finally have words to talk about poetry in more depth. That feeling that I wouldn't survive in a PhD in English program? This book kind of eases those anxieties that don't actually bother me any longer. Of course it would be nice to have the same book in Spanish but at least I have a place to look up "objective correlative"* and use it in an analysis. I suppose I can find all of this on some website but I like books and I like books in my hands. The question remains, however, if I need this language in the first place. So far I have been limping along nicely enough to get within spitting distance (I can spit pretty far) of my PhD in Spanish Literature without having a commanding knowledge of poetry forms, terms, etc. In truth, I'm not looking for poetry RAM but I do believe in the power of vocabulary. Perhaps that is why I hesitate and fumble through my sentences so frequently (in writing and speaking). In any case, what do you fair blog reader think? How necessary is a comprehensive vocabulary in regards to knowledge and its transference? Is there a balancing point or is it 'bigger is better!' 'more is mightier!'?
*T.S. Eliot's term for a set of specific objects (images and actions) that will evoke a specific, correlated emotion in the reader.
