• Home
  • Poetry Prompts
  • The Writing Life
  • Daily Poem-Subscribe!
  • Teaching Tools
  • The Press
  • Just for Patrons

National Poetry Month: David Orr’s “Beautiful & pointless”

By Glynn Young 4 Comments

David Orr, poetry columnist for the New York Times Book Review, wrote Beautiful & pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry for me, or for readers very nearly like me: familiar with poetry but not wildly knowledgeable, who write poetry on occasion but are not particularly enthused about publishing it; and who are both aware of and wary of the Academy’s total dominance.

Orr asks many of the same questions about poetry that I have, and he answers them. Are all published poets raging liberals? (Yes, mostly.) What is it about poetry that seems so personal to read it, and even more personal to write it? (Or is that a figment of our imaginations?) Does modern poetry really have or use “forms, ” or has all of that been swept away, except for occasional exercises in “how to write a haiku?” What motivates people to write poetry? Is there any real value to the creative writing industry (conferences, workshops, panels, competitions) or is it only small groups of people who stand around drinking and trying to sound clever? And what’s the point of the whole thing?

(There’s also another question Orr doesn’t ask – does poetry have to rhyme, or does it have to not rhyme? I suspect his answer would be yes.)

Orr’s book is smart, witty, often humorous with just the right amount of snarkiness and no more. It’s also approachable for a “lay” audience. He’s asking very basic questions, because he’s writing for a very specific group of people.

And in a very odd yet not unexpected way, Orr answers the questions like a poem answers questions – with a fair amount of ambiguity. Like a poem, he stops short of definitive answers (as if poetry really has any definitive answers) and instead he challenges us to look for answers in the directions he’s pointed.

The three claims Orr says are usually made for poetry – that it is a special connection to language, that it has a unique connection with our selves, and that it has a special position relative to society and/or culture – he largely dismisses, and in the case of the last two, rather quickly and succinctly dismisses. And yet he acknowledges that poetry occupies some kind of place in the public’s mind as something rather sublime. Even it that’s wrong, and it shouldn’t do that, the fact is that it does.

And he’s written a highly readable book on why that is, and perhaps why that isn’t.

Note: Orr has an article, “Public Poetry, ” in the April edition of Poetry. It’s a review of four recent books of poems.

Related: “Thoughts on Beautiful & pointless” is posted at Faith, Fiction, Friends.

You Might Also Like

  • Robert Frost and “The Road Not Taken”Robert Frost and “The Road Not Taken”
  • National Poetry Month: Steven Marty GrantNational Poetry Month: Steven Marty Grant
  • It’s National Poetry MonthIt’s National Poetry Month
  • We’re Celebrating National Poetry Month!We’re Celebrating National Poetry Month!
  • About
  • Latest Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn

Glynn Young

Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he recently retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn

Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)

  • Listening to Poets in the Sounds of Silence - December 10, 2019
  • “Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner - December 3, 2019
  • Poets and Poems: Edward Holmes and “Bravery & Brevity” - November 26, 2019

Filed Under: article, poetry

P.S., with love

We hope you found something inspiring here today.

Why not keep it going—for you, and the world?

Plus, you'll get access to our totally cool book clubs!

Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    April 11, 2011 at 11:38 am

    Orr’s title calls up what’s so often heard about the arts: beautiful and pointless, although that bridge word usually is “but”. It’s a perspective that allows what’s happening in Britain now, the decimation of funding for the arts. We needn’t exalt, I agree; at the same time we can’t dismiss that poetry would not have survived for so many thousands of years did it not have a place in our lives.

    It’s interesting to me, too, that he uses the word “Modern” rather than “Contemporary”. Consider the ruckus over the “language poets”.

    I’ve been reading a lot about this book, and may have to take it up for the fun of it, see how it compares to what Dana Gioia has to say.

    Reply
  2. Maureen Doallas says

    April 11, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Here’s a bit about the book from Robyn Crewell at Paris Review:
    http://www.fsgpoetry.com/fsg/2011/04/paris-review-robyn-creswell.html

    I hope a recording of the panel discussion tonight will be made available.

    Reply
  3. nance marie says

    April 11, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    what seems pointless to the world…
    is important for our soul.
    nmdr

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Robert Frost and “The Road Not Taken” says:
    September 22, 2015 at 5:01 am

    […] Beautiful & pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry, was published in 2011 (and we reviewed it here at Tweetspeak Poetry). He brings a wealth of perspective, ranging from history and poetry to the science of the brain, […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

Free with tweet

Many of Our Dedicated Readers Become Patrons—How About You?

Welcome all the patron-only goodness, when you become a part of a place that brings joy to your world.

Follow Tweetspeak Poetry

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our December Menu.

Recent Comments

  • Megan Willome on Children’s Book Club: “Dream Snow”
  • Laurie Klein on Poems to Listen By: Sharing the Canopy 02—Motherhood
  • Maureen on Children’s Book Club: “Dream Snow”
  • Laurie Klein on Poems to Listen By: Sharing the Canopy 02—Motherhood

A Novel for Our Time

Thoughtful and hilarious, both.

A novel for our time.

If You Want to Partner With Us in a Simple Way

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The New York Observer

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

Tumblr Book News

Categories

The Inaugural Poet Laura!

Poetry for Life? Here's our manifesto on the matter...

Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches

Help make it happen. Post The 5 Vital Approaches on your site!

Learn to Write Form Poems

Whether or not you end up enjoying the form poem, we've seen the value of building your skills through writing in form.

One reader who explored the villanelle was even featured in Every Day Poems!

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

Featured Literary Analysis

Poem Analysis: Anne Sexton's Her Kind

Poem Analysis: Adrienne Rich's Diving into the Wreck

Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Order and Disorder in Macbeth

Tone in For Whom the Bell Tolls and Catch-22

Tragedy and Comedy: Why People Love Them

Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

Book Promotion, Platform, Publicity

Author Platform: Where to Start

Ten Surprising Secrets to Make Your Book Go Viral

How to Host a Successful Book Launch

Simple Tips on Finding and Working with a Book Publicist

How to Get Your Poems Published!

Pride and Prejudice Resources

5 Amusing Pride and Prejudice Quotes

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

10 Great Pride and Prejudice Resources

Happy Birthday Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Playlist

Featured Top 10 Poems

Top 10 Chicken Poems

Top 10 Chocolate Poems (Okay, Minus 3)

Top 10 Fairy Tale Poems

Top 10 Funny Poems

Top 10 Laundry Poems

10 of the Best Love Poems

Top 10 Poems with Make or Break Titles

Top 10 Mirror Poems

Top 10 Question Poems

Top 10 Red Poems

Top 10 Rose Poems

Top 10 Summer Poems

10 Great Poems About Work

Children’s Poems, Children’s Books

Llamas in Pajamas and Ten Great Children's Poetry Books

A Children's Poem on the Playground

Come Again: Teaching Poetry to Children

Poetry With Children: What's in Your Journal

Teaching Poetry to Children: There Are So Many Blues

Take Your Poet to Work Day: Poet Treasure Hunt in the Library (Callie's Story)

6 Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Children

Top 10 Children's Books and YA Books

Little Red Riding Hood: Graphic Novel

14 Reasons Peter Rabbit Should Be Banned (Satire)

Featured Infographics

Infographic: How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Infographic: How to Write a Ballad

Infographic: How to Write an Epic Poem

Infographic: Ghazal for a Gazelle

Infographic: Boost Your Haiku High Q

Infographic: Pantoum of the Opera

Infographic: How to Write an Ode

Infographic: Poem a Day

Infographic: How to Write a Rondeau

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

Sonnet Infographic: Quatrain Wreck

Featured Playlists

Playlist: Cat's Meow

Playlist: Doors and Passageways

Playlist: Fairy Tale and Fantasy

Playlist: Purple Rain and Indigo Blues

Playlist: Surrealism

Playlist: Best Tattoo Songs

Playlist: Trains and Tracks

All the Playlists

They Bring Poetry for Life

Meet our wonderful partners, who bring "poetry for life" to students, teachers, librarians, businesses, employees—to all sorts of people, across the world.

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Meet Our Team
  • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • Contact Us

Writing With Us

  • Poetry Prompts
  • Submissions
  • Writing Workshops

Reading With Us

  • Book Club
  • Dip Into Poetry
  • Every Day Poems
  • Literacy Extras
  • Moms on Poetry
  • Poets and Poems
  • Quote a Day
  • VerseWrights Journal

Public Days for Poetry

  • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • Poetic Earth Month
  • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • Poetry at Work Day
  • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • Take Your Poet to School Week—National Poetry Month!
  • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • Give the Gift of Every Day Poems
  • Our Shop
  • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • If You’d Like to Easily Partner With Us—Donate
  • Blog Buttons
  • Put a Poem in Your Heart, Or a Story in Your Soul
  • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2019 Tweetspeak Poetry · Site by The Willingham Enterprise · FAQ & Disclosure

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more