EDU21ACL - Australian Children’s Literature
Alternative Formats
Lecture Two
Poetry - Verse Novels
© La Trobe University, David Beagley 2006
Recommended Reading
Lukens, R. (2002) From Rhyme to Poetry. in A Critical
Handbook of Children’s Literature. 7th edition. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon. 231-259
(on E-reserve for EDU11GCL)
Campbell, P. (2004) Vetting the verse novel. The Horn Book
Magazine. 80(5). September/October. 611-616
(hpr 028.52 HORN or Proquest or Expanded Academic)
Definition – what is poetry?
Form and structure
 Physical arrangement of the words:
• Sound: rhyme, alliteration, assonance, contrast,
onomatopoeia
(& free/blank verse - their absence)
• Rhythm: beat, metre
• Number: haiku, cinquain, sonnet, limerick
• Visual: acrostic, shape
• Placement: positioning of words, juxtaposition
Definition – what is poetry?
Literary devices
 Metaphor - using prior knowledge of one thing or idea
to describe another:
 Metaphor - it is …
 Simile - it is like … (similar)
 Allusion - it is related/connected/suggests …
 Symbol/Allegory – it represents something greater …
Definition – what is poetry?
A deliberate and controlled construction,
aiming to utilise these techniques
to enhance and intensify
the standard use of words
to communicate ideas, emotions, experiences
and observations
Trying to say as much as possible in the least
possible words
Narrative
Is there a contradiction?
Saying as much as possible with the least
possible
Telling a longer story
Narrative flow and development
Or
Episodic sequence
Narrative Poetry
Traditional narrative poetry
Bush ballads - Man from Snowy River, A Bush
Christening, How McDougall topped the Score
Epics - Iliad, Odyssey, Idylls of the King,
Beowulf, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
3rd person descriptive
Oral tradition - emphasis on form,
c.f. song and mnemonic features
Verse Novels
Changes for the modern verse novel
1st person perspective; thus:
Strong emphasis on impressionistic forms
Reflective tone
Blank/free verse
Focus on personal situation, rather than
action and the epic world
Verse Novels - Plus
What can the Verse Novel do well?
Poetic devices that convey:
Succinct and immediate images
The power of metaphor and suggestion
A gradual building of tension or impression
Internalised characterization
The reader must work
Verse Novels - minus
What might it struggle to achieve?
Detailed …
Description - scene, action, character etc.
Conversations
Narrator’s perspective - bias of 1st person
Smooth sequence and continuity
Critical judgements
Choices a critical reader must make:
 Interpretation of theme
 Appropriateness of Style / Structure / Narrative
form
 Accessibility of characters
 How successful were the writer’s choices in
achieving an effective creation?
 How successful is the poetry?
i.e. does it work as poetry in its own right, or is it
just a prose novel broken up into lines?