Rules for the Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse

I read this book expecting to learn about metrical poetry: kind of the basics of how they work, how they are constructed.I didn't expect spiritual and personal growth lessons.Needless to say, I was delighted to be fed on so many different levels. Given Mary Oliver is the author, I shouldn't be surprised.....I also wasn't expecting to be so compelled to try on the metrical form by reading this book yet I am! And the great thing is I am also learning (through practice) the freedom and spiritual side of writing "according to form and rhythm".Highly recommended to poets and anyone who loves a poet or the written word.

This book is really well written and inspirational. It helped me to understand better the purpose of metrical poetry. For a lay person such as myself it's easy to fall into thinking that "rules" can only constrict the emotional possibilities of poems. But, Mary Oliver explains, in practical terms, how meter is a tool to evoke an even greater impact from our words. I would say this book is probably best for those who are new to writing metric poetry. Experienced writers might find it a little superficial.I also have the "Poetry Handbook" by the same author, but I think "Rules for the Dance" is better for the same material and more entertaining. Enjoy!

Dance is a wonderful, succinct explication of metrics. Oliver removes the mystery from meter and makes you want to...well, scan! I've read a few books on this subject, including Pinsky's Fussell's, Kinzie's and some others, but this one is the best introduction. Whether reader or writer of poetry, you'll finish this book with new practical tools of craft and comprehension.

Mary Oliver brings to this small book all the clarity and economy that characterize her poetry, and produces the most plain-spoken, profound work that I have read on poetry as a conscious craft. The book is divided into five parts. Part One is 12 brief, carefully-exampled chapters with titles like "Breath", "Line Length", and "Meter in Non-Metric Verse". Part Two is a single chapter on "Style". Part Three explores scansion for both reader and writer. Part Four is a 2-page statement of the timelessness of poetry. Part Five is a fine little anthology of works studied in the earlier text. This austere, remote poet has written a book that speaks to the reader with great intimacy and passion. To quote from Oliver's envoi: "No poet ever wrote a poem to dishonor life, to compromise high ideals, to scorn religious views, to demean hope or gratitude, to argue against tenderness, to place rancor before love, or to praise littleness of soul. Not one. Not ever."