Modes of Engagements with Poetry

 dr. sc. Iris Vidmar Jovanović

Sveučilište u Rijeci, Filozofski fakultet

petak, 24. siječnja 2020.

12:15, predavaonica F-204

My aim in this paper is to explore some of the ways in which we engage with poetry. I focus on three aspects of poetic experience: what I call the acoustic mode relates to the enjoyment of the way in which a particular poem sounds. Dominant here is the combination of words and lines which enable us to enjoy the perceptual experience of hearing a poem. The second mode is visual: in light of vivid descriptions, we tend to take pleasure in what the poem ‘puts to view’. The third mode is reflective: it relates to the way in which the poem invites reflection on the issues it presents. As I argue, the three modes come united in poetry of great value, and are relevant for our emotional engagements with the poem, as well as for our attempts to unravel the meaning of the poem.