About the book
Throughout the twentieth century, scholars accepted that there was something called “traditional” poetic meter, and that free verse liberated poets from the fetters of old forms. In this version of literary history, free verse saved poetry from cultural irrelevance and marked a broadly oppositional politics. This book tells a different story—and offers a radically new account of the rise of free verse poetry in the United States.
In the 1910s, white academics, editors, and critics popularized free verse by arguing that it was the formal expression of a white American race. For Black and Indigenous authors, free verse did not reliably function as a break or an opening; it was instead a form of enclosure and used to shore up racial hierarchies. The story of the racialization of free verse has been consistently edited out of accounts of modernism—especially those that focus on how free verse was promoted in storied little magazines such as Poetry and Others. In The Enclosures of Free Verse, Erin Joyce Kappeler returns to those magazines and their associated anthologies to show that free verse was a racial formation of whiteness and to explore how Black and Indigenous poets navigated this racialization of poetic form.
Editions of The Enclosures of Free Verse
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469693057
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469693064
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469684208
- PDF
- ISBN 9781469693071
Read an Excerpt
Throughout the twentieth century, scholars accepted that there was something called “traditional” poetic meter, and that free verse liberated poets from the fetters of old forms. In this version of literary history, free verse saved poetry from cultural irrelevance and marked a broadly oppositional politics. This book tells a different story—and offers a radically new account of the rise of free verse poetry in the United States.
In the 1910s, white academics, editors, and critics popularized free verse by arguing that it was the formal expression of a white American race. For Black and Indigenous authors, free verse did not reliably function as a break or an opening; it was instead a form of enclosure and used to shore up racial hierarchies. The story of the racialization of free verse has been consistently edited out of accounts of modernism—especially those that focus on how free verse was promoted in storied little magazines such as Poetry and Others. In The Enclosures of Free Verse, Erin Joyce Kappeler returns to those magazines and their associated anthologies to show that free verse was a racial formation of whiteness and to explore how Black and Indigenous poets navigated this racialization of poetic form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Enclosures of Free Verse about?
Throughout the twentieth century, scholars accepted that there was something called “traditional” poetic meter, and that free verse liberated poets from the fetters of old forms. In this version of literary history, free verse saved poetry from cultural irrelevance and marked a broadly oppositional politics. This book tells a different story—and offers a radically new account of the rise of free verse poetry in the United States.
In the 1910s, white academics, editors, and critics popularized free verse by arguing that it was the formal expression of a white American race. For Black and Indigenous authors, free verse did not reliably function as a break or an opening; it was instead a form of enclosure and used to shore up racial hierarchies. The story of the racialization of free verse has been consistently edited out of accounts of modernism—especially those that focus on how free verse was promoted in storied little magazines such as Poetry and Others. In The Enclosures of Free Verse, Erin Joyce Kappeler returns to those magazines and their associated anthologies to show that free verse was a racial formation of whiteness and to explore how Black and Indigenous poets navigated this racialization of poetic form.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The Enclosures of Free Verse?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism > Literary studies: poetry and poets
Where can I read a sample of The Enclosures of Free Verse?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469693057
How long is The Enclosures of Free Verse and how many pages does it have?
The Enclosures of Free Verse has 210 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book The Enclosures of Free Verse?
Erin Joyce Kappeler
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
The Enclosures of Free Verse is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469693057) and paperback(ISBN 9781469693064) and ebook(ISBN 9781469684208) and pdf(ISBN 9781469693071)
Where can I buy The Enclosures of Free Verse online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy The Enclosures of Free Verse?