As a material engagement with poetry, formal play with the presentation of words on the page or screen adds meaning to the language. With the following poems, previously published in Canadian Literature, ask yourself how the presentation of the words adds to or alters how you understand them in some way. How does the form not just mimic, but add to, the construction of meaning?
Consider comparing and contrasting the use of page space in The Gravel Pit
with one of the following poems:
- “Paddle” by M. Travis Lane
- “London, Certainly” by Colin Morton
- “good pitching is almost always” by Dennis Cooley
Works Cited
- Cooley, Dennis. “good pitching is almost always.” Sport and the Athletic Body. Spec. issue of Canadian Literature 202 (Autumn 2009): 28-29. Print. (Link)
- Lane, M. Travis.
The Gravel Pit.
Canadian Literature 170/171 (2001): 20. Print. (Link) - Lane, M. Travis. “Paddle.” Remembering the Sixties. Spec. issue of Canadian Literature 152-153 (1997): 205. Print. (Link)
- Morton, Colin. “London, Certainly.” Atwood, Carrier, Grandbois, Lowry. Spec. issue of Canadian Literature 112 (1987): 30. Print. (Link)
©