Why Meter Is Not Essential to Poetry

4 hours ago

Robert Charboneau's essay argues for a return to meter in poetry, claiming it is overlooked, valuable, and rooted in natural rhythms.
The author agrees with many of Robert's points but disagrees on the relationship between meter and free verse, arguing free verse also utilizes rhythm and patterned sound.
Robert's essay criticizes free verse as esoteric or emotionally shallow, but the author notes many free verse poets, like Mary Oliver, are widely appreciated without these faults.
The author discusses the history of meter in English poetry, noting variations across periods and how free verse draws from older alliterative traditions.
Key poets like Eliot and Pound are cited to show that free verse is not 'free' but involves careful rhythmic craft, and that meter is not inherently more objective.
Robert's later definition of meter as intuitive musicality aligns with the author's view that poetry is 'patterned sound,' bridging meter and free verse.
The author concludes that the distinction is not meter versus free verse but good versus bad verse, emphasizing a poet's dedication to craft tools like rhythm and imagery.

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