Fear No Poetry! The Essential Guide to Close Reading

Afraid of poetry? Unable to make sense of a poem, let alone enjoy it? Having trouble discussing the web of meanings within a poem or, worse, writing about it? Confused by the kooky critical terms readers and teachers keep throwing round?

Fear no longer! Literary powerhouse Gwee Li Sui takes you from the baby steps of close reading to its finer, more moving moments. He discusses with rare energising generosity two kinds of poems: the “unseen poem” – the bane of many a student – and the scariest of verse for Singaporean readers, a poem by another Singaporean!

This book assumes nothing, starting with the basics. It aims to help you find your inner posture, grasp what a poem is and does, learn the critical language, and write competently. The book further comes jam‐packed with exercises for you to work on alone or with a few friends…

Read it as a guide, use it in the classroom, or argue with it in a reading group. Take on the challenge of FEAR NO POETRY! – and get ready to toughen your skills in close analysis as a new world of poetry and life explodes!