The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within

Stephen Fry did the impossible with The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within. He broke through all my inhibitions and not only introduced me to the forms of poetry but with such humor and excellence that I am now fascinated. He has taken away all the stumbling blocks to writing and presented the classic sonnet as a starter with examples to whet the appetite and not just the flowery sweet tones but challenging sonnets from Shakespeare's plays. Then, he provides exercises for the reader to attempt iambic pentameter. These exercises accompany the various forms and Fry takes you to the limerick, the ballad, free verse, all the possibilities that poetry has to offer. That Fry is an actor adds to his presentation. There is drama and humor in his writing that makes this book hook you from one moment to the next. This is not only a great read but a true teacher for those resistant souls like myself who always avoided creative writing. Now, I've joined a writer's group! Five stars. NO, SIX.

Stephen Fry's "Ode Less Travelled" is a very good companion for all who wish to learn about poetry. It is, in a sense, just like any textbook you've seen in school. There are presentations of terms, rules and traditions and exercises for you to do, to show that you've mastered the before mentioned rules and terms. What makes it stand above all normal textbooks is, that although mr. Fry does bring examples from the works of Shakespeare and Blake and such, he manages to give the text a very modern and 'in-the-moment' sort of feel. His wit and intelligence shines through and lends a humourous hand to help us get through all the terminology and definitions of classic poetry with a smile. I especially like the very matter of fact, mechanical even, apporach to poetry that mr. Fry takes. He makes it less about divine inspiration and feeling nature and other esoteric and, to my mind at least, useless frases, and more about learning meter and rhyme. That was very comforting and encouraging for me. It made the task of creating poetry more accesible and doable, more straight forward. Highly recommended

Having just enjoyed listening to Mr. Fry read his novel "The Hippopotamus" on my long commutes, I was immediately attracted when I heard of "The Ode Less Traveled." I have often wondered why I don't understand many poems, (and not just modern ones), and can't tell good from bad. I have tried a number of other books on poetry with no success. Beginning "The Ode..." however, I immediately recognized Mr. Fry's cadence of speech and humour and the first twenty pages have been very easy to follow. Now I am doing his suggested exercises with iambic pentameter, and I am looking forward to the rest and finally knowing something about poetry. In my opinion, Stephen Fry is one of a kind, and what fun it would have been if he had been my high school English teacher!

One of my favorite quotes about poetry is from Dame Edith Sitwell. "Poetry is like horticulture," she said. "Each poem should be allowed to grow according to its natural form." In his new book, "The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within," Stephen Fry creates a veritable topiary garden of poetry, providing not only an encyclopedic overview of poetic meters and forms in English but a cogent, bracing and witty demonstration of their value. As its subtitle suggests, "The Ode Less Travelled" is written as a primer to both beginning and experienced poets who need, shall we say, a jump start to their creativity. Each chapter offers a discussion, with examples, of a particular meter, rhyme scheme or form, and suggests exercises at the end for readers to create their own examples. Fry quotes English poets from William Shakespeare to William McGonagall to illustrate his points, as well as a gratifyingly large array of American poets. Sometimes, when an example from the canon is not readily available, Fry will write his own, such as when he illustrates a dactyl (one stressed syllable, two non-stressed) followed by a molossus (three sharply stressed syllables in a row) in an imagined argument between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader: Why do you bother me? Go to Hell! I am your destiny. Can't you tell? You're not my father. Eat my shorts! Come to the dark side. Feel the force! Fry--a renowned writer, actor, director, wit and polymath--brings all his Cambridge erudition to "The Ode Less Travelled," combined with the passion of a man who cares to the depth of his soul about language and his possibilities. By learning as much as possible about the meters and forms available to us as poets in English, he argues, we gain insight into the sheer potential of the English language. That is a lesson that has importance far beyond the realm of poetry. In one of the book's closing chapters, he expounds on what he calls the flexibility of English, compared with other languages: "(I)t is more than a question of the thousands more words available to us, it is also a question of the numberless styles, modes, jargons and slangs we have recourse to. If by poetry we mean something more than the decorative, noble and refined, then English is a perfect language for poetry. So be alert to it at all times." Hear, hear!

There was a fine fellow named Fry...who has here given the world a very funny (at times downright filthy), knowledgeable, reliable and, I would say, unique volume about the art & craft of writing poetry. I know Fry`s erudition & relentless wit can put off some people (mostly English ones - how we suspect success and excellence in this fearful country!) but I forgive the man his exuberant excesses and prefer to celebrate him as a generous-spirited Good Thing. If you have never written a poem in your life, or you are a little afraid to, or want some encouragement, or wish to find out more about the mechanics of `prosody`, or are, indeed, already happily writing poems galore - this book is for you. Find out what a `foot` is; the difference between a Shakespearean & Petrarchan sonnet; and what in Heaven`s name is a spondee? Fry gives (often hilarious) examples of his own, and sets `exercises` at the end of each chapter. Mildly avuncular & user-friendly, without dumbing down. My only quibble is his misunderstanding of what a haiku really is. He admits his ignorance of the intricacies of the more `exotic` verse forms, but it`s a shame he has given such poor, not to say inaccurate, examples of haiku - especially since the Guardian`s onetime haiku competition daily printed efforts by readers which utterly ignored the `break` necessary between the second & third lines. If you`re going to call something a haiku, at least have the politeness to find out what it is - and isn`t - to begin with! (Bete noir got off chest.) This is Fry at his best. Long may he prosper until the sad but inevitable day when flights of chubby, pink-bottomed angels sing him to his well-earned rest. Hey, that last paragraph rhymed - even if it didn`t scan.