The poet Annie Finch argues that when poets don't pay attention to meter when they write free verse are thereby condemned to write unconscious, lame iambics.
Yes, her critique seems to be that truly effective free verse requires just as much prosodic awareness as formal verse, perhaps more. Without deliberate attention to rhythm, line breaks, and sonic patterns, poets risk producing verse that's neither formally disciplined nor meaningfully liberated from form....just accidental, unremarkable iambics dressed up as innovation. It takes skill to write free verse well.
A lesson well taught!
The poet Annie Finch argues that when poets don't pay attention to meter when they write free verse are thereby condemned to write unconscious, lame iambics.
Yes, her critique seems to be that truly effective free verse requires just as much prosodic awareness as formal verse, perhaps more. Without deliberate attention to rhythm, line breaks, and sonic patterns, poets risk producing verse that's neither formally disciplined nor meaningfully liberated from form....just accidental, unremarkable iambics dressed up as innovation. It takes skill to write free verse well.
Well said!