Some History-Elias Petropoulus had tried to describe the art of Anti poetry according to one of his protegees and admirer John Taylor. In his “notebook” Indeed in Berlin contain verses which included intentionally made mistake in regard to prosody, grammar and rhyme. The inspiration for many of Mr. Petropoulous poems had been the harsh, and sad atmosphere of the wall divided German metropolis where he was residing. Mr. Petropoulus had long come to the conclusion that poetry about love and desires was becoming too gentle for the literature of modern age. Rather it was time to introduce anti poetry by incorporating anti-sentimentalism feelings and reaction within poems. Anti poetry is as old as poetry itself writes Mr. Taylor; perhaps it had even been born the day after after poetry when individuals decided the art of just poetry was becoming somewhat a routine and he were becoming tired of the sentimental aspects. During 5th century B.C theatrical Sketches called Mimes were being introduces with ideas and languages that were deduced to being Anti plays. There had been times when poets would turn against his/her own poetry in an anti poetical way. yet Anti poetry itself had not yet been well receive by critics. Anti poetry can be found and cited from the first poets of Italy as well ( Dante, follow by Petrarch) as well as some other places in Europe. They had made the decision to compose verses in vernacular rather than Latin were behaving in an anti poetical manner. Many Playwrights which include both Shakespeare and Moliere were some of the writers sighted by Mr. Taylor for using Anti poetry within their work now and then in the midst of a verse play. Anti poetry in a way attempts to reject the norms of poetry.
The Art of poetry demonstrated by Shakespeare in Sonnet 130.
SONNET 130
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Shakespeare in this poem was able to celebrate the unappealing features of his mistress. In a way stating her flaws are also attractive to him. He uses Dark tone Humor one of the many features of Anti poetry. while many poems focuses on the beautiful aspect of a woman Shakespeare was able to take it to a next level by focusing not on the beautiful aspect but rather on the cold hard true of her many flaws.
Taylor, John. “Poetry Today.” EBSCOhost. N.p., june, 1 2009. Web. 23 Apr 2012. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8154f34c-72db-4c5f-b727-89f8f4965940@sessionmgr4&vid=17&hid=101>.
Mason, David, and John Frederic Nims. Western Winds. 5. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.
