Stanza (Critical Idiom) By Ernst Haublein

Stanza form definition

First published in 1978 this work bridges the gap between the study of poetic form which tends to isolate form from meaning and structural poetics which tends to focus on meaning without considering the stanza s impact Beginning with an examination of the various definitions of the stanza the book goes on to describe the many forms of the stanza and the different strategies by which poets achieve stanzaic units of meaning It then evaluates the logical relationships between stanzas and finally assesses their place and function as parts within the poetic whole This work will be of interest to those studying poetry and literature Stanza Critical Idiom Technical as all get out and then some Haublein has been charged with writing an eighties version of the contemporary effusion of critical guides but does so in a critical register unfamiliar to most critics and students today detailed notes on form and a thorough understanding of the English poetic tradition I sat up straight and took notes I can tell you English