Edward Hirsch, poet, author and lecturer, has built a book in which the content is the process. He shows the reader how to read a poem and in demonstrating this, Hirsch coaxes the reader into a love relationship with poetry. It seems like such a simple axiom. But Hirsch has his methodology.
The Methodology of Hirsch
The first chapter lays out the premise of "interactivity" which girds the book. Through this participatory nature of poetry, creative reading partners with creative writing. No art can exist apart from its respondent, says Hirsch. He amply upholds his thesis with dozens of quotes from Sartre to Borges to Merwyn to Emerson, Yeats, to Pound, Calvino and Marina Tsvetaeva. The entire book contains juicy and memorable quotations and excerpts.
Hirsch’s methodology is to reprint individual poems in their entirety, lay a foundation for each and explicate the poem line by line in luxurious, accessible and adoring language. His explanations include relevant biographical information on the writer, comparisons to other poems, both of the past and contemporary. The author's devout treatment of lines or individual words is a catalyst, prompting this reader to follow his method in both reading and writing poetry.
Hirsch shows by doing. This is how you read a poem; this is how you cull its riches; this is how and why a reader becomes a participant in the poem’s unfolding; and this is why poetry evokes love. His tone is declarative and his reasoning encompasses both craft and the personal element.
Hirsch deconstructs his chosen poems with a precise and personalized close reading, often revealing his initial reaction to a poem, startling his reader with an abundance of emotion. For example, on Sylvia Plath’s poem, “Edge,” the author says, “I still remember the mounting revulsion and horror, the near physical nausea, I felt when I first read this poem thirty years ago.”
That emotional response is deepened as he teases apart the inner structure of a poem, finding its pivot, its underpinnings, its resemblance to other poems, its connotation both micro and macro, and then closes the loop with a satisfying closure which inevitably leads to his next exploration.
Highlighted Works
Poem highlights examined by Hirsch include Robert Desnos’, “The Voice of Robert Desnos,” Christopher Smart’s, “For I Will Consider my Cat Jeoffrey,” and excerpts from the Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva. His chapter on post-war Polish poets is particularly enlightening, and his Glossary is a storehouse of clear and comprehensive reference material.
Hirsch’s book is more than a manual and more than a guide. It is a treasure for anyone who is drawn to the word. Whether you are a skeptic or an aficionado of poetry, this book is a must-have.
Reference: Hirsch, Edward. How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. 1st Harvest ed. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1999.
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