inversions in poetry

[ChristopherSea]

Perhaps inversion would be more palatable to the plain-language club, were it called by its other name: anastrophe. There! Feeling better? Anastrophe -- rolls around the tongue doesn't it? And -Greek terminology always has that extra appeal.

Of course, there may be some churlish souls who, having invested so much in preaching against inversion, they will never come round. They like real poetic devices, like anaphora. Or do they? If anastrophe is no good, perhaps that is old hat too? Old-fashioned, not of the moment, uncool. Perhaps it may have been useful for Churchill and fighting on the beaches, and fighting on hill-sides and all -but in our brave new world? I shall send off for a correspondence course:' Poetic Devices in 10 Easy Lessons!' They'll tell me what good and what currently unfashionable.

none of this explains why you are such a fan of inversion, what you think it adds to poetry or why poets should consider adding it to their next poem. It is actually a pointless and churlish non-sequiter

Now, Milo, I am wandering again. You asked a simple, plain man's question.

''What works so well that modern writers should use inversion/anastrophe.'' I paraphrase.

Ask yourself the purpose of any other poetic device, so-called. Tricks or knacks perhaps as god terms. Rhyme, say. Why, it can add to the sound of the poem, pure and simple. More, it can enable the writer, by using the rhyme, to point the reader in an unexpected place, and give emphasis to a particular locution, or word. In that way, the poet wins against the belaboured plain-speaker: he can by emphasising words through rhyme, open new avenues of thought in the reader. The corollary, of course, is that he can get the reader to gloss over some words which may be necessary because language demands them, but whose meaning is not much wanted at the fore.

That is what anastrophe does, that is why modern writers should seek to acquire the skill to use it. Metre is improved by it;it is all good.

rhyme is a poetic tool that is different from inversion (as is meter) if you would like to discuss the effects and usage of rhyme I am more than happy to start another thread.

Metre is not improved by inversion, some poets invert when they cannot effectively write in meter without doing so but good meter can be written quite easily without ever inverting.

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stop it with your poetry, this is a discussion not a showcase. and i'm allowed to think those lines are gibberish, as you put them up they stood, i'm not physic. use someone elses poetry. have a look through the site and post a few inverted lines. better yet post so inverted lines from a well known poet.

i'm sorry sorry sorry but i just see most of the argument for inversion as out and out bullshit. i see people calling it a poetic device, i see people saying think "if the consensus of people say inversion is wrong ...sis it really wrong" well yes that what everyone except those who use it agree on. they agree that it's shite poetry. and in all honest i'd never use one my my poems to prove a point about poetry apart from showing it as an example of shite poetry. you put a piece of poetry of yours up calab and your putting it up for discussion. it would not bode too well. i've read a few of yours and i can't say i'd use them as examples of good poetry [you brought it up, i'm just replying to you]

if you invert the odds are your poetry will not be of a good quality. inversion is not a poetic device it is an aberration for which poets who use it should be flayed. you will not brain wash me abu

So Billy, tell me, are you really in charge of this place? This is your forum? Is that really possible?

Half the time your rants make you sound like you're drunk.

I use examples from my own poetry because I'm familiar with my poetry. I spent time struggling with whether I should leave that inversion in my poem, so I was ready to give it as an example. And by the way, "My Heat" is a good poem -- I'm sorry you can't recognize that.

Also, a poetry forum like this IS a showcase for people's poems. I mean, a forum like this is where people come to show other people what they are working on.

The moderators on this forum are chronically hostile and patronizing. I'm getting really tired of it. You pretty much have to be a masochist to participate here.

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I wrote my last post 35 minutes ago and I haven't been banned yet. I INSIST ON BEING BANNED -- WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG? AND THIS TIME I WANT TO BE BANNED FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!

this is unacceptable behaviour in the discussion forums. If you insist on petulantly stamping your feet take it to the pig's arse.

/mod

Oh yes, billy is our dictator. Of course he's always drinking and spouting off, and he's a mean drunk too. Moreover, he makes us all drink as well, but it is cheap whiskey. He hordes all of the fine scotch for himself. He calls us pigs and keeps us penned up in a sty, while he sits on a porcelain throne. It’s appalling, but we love it.