Q&A: The Definition of Poetry
The Definition of Poetry
Question
I listened to your lecture series on definitions and concepts, and there you discussed the definition of poetry. In light of what you argued there about the definition of “poetry,” does it follow from that that I have written a poem: “Go to hell!” Strange as it is, I’m asking seriously. Seemingly, it fits all the definitions of the concept of “poetry,” since in “Go to hell” the words have no meaning except to create a feeling in the reader.
Answer
The words definitely do have meaning, even if it is metaphorical.
Discussion on Answer
It seems to me that you missed something fundamental here. Words always have meaning. Every poem is written in words, and of course the words in it always have meaning. The decisive question is whether the poem’s message lies in the meaning of the words (in which case it is prose), or whether they only come to evoke something else (in which case it is a poem). The text about the lone streetlamp is not meant to convey information to me about a street that had a lamp in it. It is meant to evoke feelings and atmosphere through the words. But “Go to hell” is meant to say something very clear that is contained in the meaning of the words (except that it is metaphorical).
And the poem you brought there about “a lone streetlamp at the end of the street” has no meaning to its words? I’m having trouble seeing the distinction. Could you please elaborate and try to explain more?