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What I desire of a poem is a clear understanding of…

“What I desire of a poem is a clear understanding of motive, and a just evaluation of feeling A poem in the first place should offer us a new perception..bringing into being a new experience Verse is more valuable than prose for its rhythms are faster and more highly organised and lead to greater…” quote by Yvor Winters
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“What I desire of a poem is a clear understanding of motive, and a just evaluation of feeling A poem in the first place should offer us a new perception..bringing into being a new experience Verse is more valuable than prose for its rhythms are faster and more highly organised and lead to greater compexity.”

Yvor Winters

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A poem should reveal motive clearly and evaluate feeling justly, offering fresh perception and organized rhythm that surpasses prose in complexity.

In simple terms: Poems give clear motives and fresh feelings through rhythm.

Key Takeaway

Seek poems that reshape perception.

Themes

poetry perception rhythm

Mood

introspective analytical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • creative writing
  • literary analysis
  • teaching poetry
  • personal reflection

Key Concepts

Aesthetic theory literary criticism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does rhythm affect understanding?
  • What makes a poem more valuable than prose?
A Different Perspective

Poems may be inaccessible without context.

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