Art Quote by Don Paterson
“So we start with an oversignifying reader. Those texts that appear to reward this reader for this additional investment - text that we find exceptionally suggestive, apposite, or musical - are usually adjudged to be 'poetic'. ... The work of the poet is to contribute a text that will firstly invite such a reading; and secondly reward such a reading.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Nature of Poetic Reading, Don Paterson, 2015
Poetry invites readers to engage deeply, rewarding attentive, suggestive interpretation.
In simple terms: Poetry rewards careful, imaginative reading.
Key Takeaway
Seek depth in reading.
Themes
literature
interpretation
artistic appreciation
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- book clubs
- creative writing workshops
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
reader response theory
aesthetic experience
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes a text feel 'poetic' to you?
- How do you balance analysis and feeling?
A Different Perspective
Not all readers appreciate or recognize such depth.
![“Poetry springs directly from our primal need and capacity for communication[Poetry] mobilizes such a concentration of devices, such an intensification of language via rhythm, syntax, image and metaphor. Reading it-the best of it-can create another, very different kind of perpetual present, an…” quote by Sven Birkerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c57/sven-birkerts-25191_awareness_poetry-springs-directly-from-our-primal_206738.jpg)
