After New Formalism

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding critic delivers outstanding book
Review: Annie Finch is one of those rare minds whose generosity of intelligence is well evident in this new collection of essays. She addresses some of the fundamental issues that the New Formalism has raised and looks beyond them with a cogent vision. This book is a must for anyone who wishes to understand the world of contemporary American poetry.

Rating:
Summary: A good collection
Review: Finch, also a fine poet, has assembled a book that is a large, useful survey of issues arising from the New Formalist poetry movement. A few of the essays are of lesser quality, but most are strong engagements with the diverse varieties of traditional form in contemporary American poetry. As Finch notes, it may be time to move past the label "New Formalist" in considering the larger influence of the resurgence of tradtional form--a viewpoint I support. The book overall is a provoking collection, and a good introduction to the issues surrounding contemporary poetry in traditional form.