It seems to me that the focus on individual words here is misplaced. A poem works because of the synergy born of the precise combination of the words employed. It means what it says in the precise way that it says it.
I agree: A poem is the eynergy of all its elements, which makes it more than just the words, or any of the elements of craft. A great poem cannot be paraphrased, because the only way to "explain" it is to repeat it. (Which I think was Eliot's point, originally.)
Also, it's far easier to paraphrase or summarize a narrative or epic poem, which contains plot and characters, than it is a lyric poem. Possibly that accounts, in part, for the ascendancy of the lyric in the modern era.
I agree: A poem is the eynergy of all its elements, which makes it more than just the words, or any of the elements of craft. A great poem cannot be paraphrased, because the only way to "explain" it is to repeat it. (Which I think was Eliot's point, originally.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's far easier to paraphrase or summarize a narrative or epic poem, which contains plot and characters, than it is a lyric poem. Possibly that accounts, in part, for the ascendancy of the lyric in the modern era.