Reader Response Journal #1

Critical RRJ #1

The first chapter of “An Introduction to English Poetry” deals with should and should not be called English poetry (1). For Fenton, English poetry is poetry which bears some relation to modern English. In other words, poems written within the last 500 years (5).
Defining the scope of English poetry is important because looking at a group of similar poems allows us to see smaller nuances that make poems unique. The study is along the lines of word based focus rather than a text based one, in which we focus on the small things which change poems rather than large changes which obscure the likeness of poems altogether.
Looking at meanings of words sheds light on variations in meaning within the supposedly common English language. A word like “black” in relation to a person can have different meaning given the context of the time period in which the word is used. As Fenton notes, “the blackness of the lover does not imply African origin” (4). Rather, in the Elizabethan period, the word black in relation to a person would describe “an unfortunate lover” (4). These small time-based contexts make even seemingly similar English poetry complex to study and informative at the same time.

Poetry - The Early Days

Needless to say - poetry class will be, shall we say, interesting. I've never been a fan of poetry nor have I ever been good at composing poems. However with one semester left before graduation and this being the only available English class left I've got to give things my best shot. At this point my mind's an open book but how long will it remain this way? That remains to be seen. I'm enjoying things so far and think that I might actually come out of the course enjoying poetry... something I never thought I'd say after the English 102 disaster. The professor's good and the coursework seems to be manageable, both things that should help me bear things through. That's it for now... assignments will be posted here soon I'd guess...