The art of preserving genre memories and the aesthetic effect of the influence of prose into contemporary poetry

Tam Thanh Nguyen; Nhat Huu Ho

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2025344

Keywords:

preserving genre memories

Abstract

This study explores the evolving relationship between poetry and prose, focusing on how contemporary poetry incorporates elements of prose while retaining its lyrical essence. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of genre theory and literary hybridity, it examines how modern poets balance traditional poetic features with prose elements to create a dynamic form of expression. The analysis highlights key techniques such as rhythm, personification, rhetorical metaphor, and tonal balance, which enable poets to preserve the emotional resonance of poetry despite its increasing rationality and logical structure. This transformation reflects the genre's shift toward a more objective, politically charged style, contributing to a growing emotional distance in modern poetry. The study argues that while the integration of prose elements offers new possibilities for poetic innovation, it also generates a tension between the genre's intrinsic lyricism and the rationality of prose. This tension is manifest in the juxtaposition of poetry's emotional depth with prose’s logical clarity, which can result in a more somber, neutral tone. By analyzing these shifts, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of genre evolution, showing how contemporary poetry redefines boundaries and continues to reflect the complexities of human existence. The findings underscore the significance of preserving the emotional and rhythmic qualities of poetry while allowing for creative adaptation to contemporary forms. This research has broader implications for literary studies, offering insights into the hybridization of genres and its impact on the future of literary expression.
References
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13. Fredman, S. (1990). Poet's Prose: The Crisis in American Verse. Cambridge University Press.
14. Freeman, M. H. (2020). The Poem as Icon: A Study in Aesthetic Cognition. Oxford University Press.
15. Gido, N. G., Villaceran, M. S. A., Mansueto, M. D., & Dilao, J. J. (2022). Dylan Thomas’ "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight": Poem Analysis. Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 10(7), 152–155. https://www.giirj.com/index.php/giirj/article/view/2558
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37. Schein, S. L. (2016). Homeric Epic and Its Reception: Interpretive Essays. Oxford University Press.
38. Shariatmadari, D. (2020). Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth about Language. W. W. Norton & Company.
39. Shklovsky, V. (2023). On the Theory of Prose. Deep Vellum Publishing.
40. Sourgen, G. O. (2013). ‘Artlessness and Artifice’: Byron and the Historicity of Poetic Form. University of Oxford.
41. Starr, G. G. (2015). Lyric Generations: Poetry and the Novel in the Long Eighteenth Century. JHU Press.
42. Strachan, J. (2011). Poetry. Edinburgh University Press.
43. Su, T. D. (1995). The Worlds of Poetic Art [Những thế giới nghệ thuật thơ]. Education Publisher.
44. Thomas, L. (2023). Psalms as Postmodern Poetry. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
45. Thompson, D. (1978). The Uses of Poetry. Cambridge University Press.
46. Tiffany, D. (2020). Lyric poetry and poetics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.
47. Vaughn, M. L. (1989). The Experience of Writing Poetry: An Heuristic Investigation. The Union Institute.
48. Williams, N. (2011). Contemporary Poetry. Edinburgh University Press.
49. Yeh, J. (2022). Rhyme and metre. In Creative Writing (pp. 284–310). Routledge.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Nguyen, T. T., & Ho, N. H. (2024). The art of preserving genre memories and the aesthetic effect of the influence of prose into contemporary poetry. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 7(7), 2025344. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2025344

[1] Bakhtin, M. J. L. T. A. A. (1935). Discourse in the Novel. 2, 674–685.

[2] Bernstein, C. (2016). Pitch of Poetry. University of Chicago Press.

[3] Burns, R. (1911). Songs and Lyrics of Robert Burns. P. L. Warner.

[4] Burnside, J. (2020). The Music of Time: Poetry in the Twentieth Century. Princeton University Press.

[5] Burroway, J., Stuckey-French, E., & Stuckey-French, N. (2019). Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. University of Chicago Press.

[6] Callaway, C. B., & Lester, J. C. (2002). Narrative prose generation. Artificial Intelligence, 139(2), 213–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0004-3702(02)00230-8

[7] Dao, X. O. (2004). Five poems by Mai Van Phan. The Writers Post, 6(2), 1–2. https://thewriterspost.net/V6I2_pp10_maivanphan.htm

[8] Davis, A. P. J. P. (1952). The Harlem of Langston Hughes' poetry. 13(4), 276–283.

[9] Dickinson, E. (2019). Hope is the Thing with Feathers. Author's Republic.

[10] Duc, H. M. (2011). Poetry and Some Issues of Modern Vietnamese Poetry [Thơ và mấy vấn đề thơ Việt Nam hiện đại]. Education Publisher.

[11] DuPlessis, R. B. (2023). A Long Essay on the Long Poem: Modern and Contemporary Poetics and Practices. University of Alabama Press.

[12] Edwards, R., Nicoll, K., Solomon, N., & Usher, R. (2013). Rhetoric and Educational Discourse: Persuasive Texts. Routledge.

[13] Fredman, S. (1990). Poet's Prose: The Crisis in American Verse. Cambridge University Press.

[14] Freeman, M. H. (2020). The Poem as Icon: A Study in Aesthetic Cognition. Oxford University Press.

[15] Gido, N. G., Villaceran, M. S. A., Mansueto, M. D., & Dilao, J. J. (2022). Dylan Thomas’ "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight": Poem Analysis. Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 10(7), 152–155. https://www.giirj.com/index.php/giirj/article/view/2558

[16] Goldstein, A. P., & Michaels, G. Y. (2021). Empathy: Development, Training, and Consequences. Routledge.

[17] Hanh, N. V. (1979). Thinking about Literature [Suy nghĩ về văn học]. Literature Publisher.

[18] Harding, D. W. (1976). Words into Rhythm: English Speech Rhythm in Verse and Prose. Cambridge University Press.

[19] Hardy, B. (2014). The Advantage of Lyric: Essays on Feeling in Poetry. A&C Black.

[20] Hassenzahl, M. (2008). Aesthetics in interactive products: Correlates and consequences of beauty. In Product Experience (pp. 287–302). Elsevier.

[21] Herawati, A. (2017). Imagery and symbol portraying loneliness in William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud". Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Madiun.

[22] Hetherington, P., & Atherton, C. (2020). Prose Poetry: An Introduction. Princeton University Press.

[23] Jamieson, N. L. (2001). Some things poetry can tell us about the process of social change in Vietnam. Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 39(3), 325–357. https://doi.org/10.20495/tak.39.3_325

[24] Jones-Dilworth, M. E. (2010). The role of the poet: Poetry performance at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

[25] Keen, S. (2010). Narrative empathy. In Toward a Cognitive Theory of Narrative Acts (pp. 61–94). University of Texas Press.

[26] Leteo, M. (2021). Poetic effects in prose: Virginia Woolf and Emilio Cecchi. University of Oxford.

[27] Levinson, M. (2017). The Romantic Fragment Poem: A Critique of a Form. UNC Press Books.

[28] Nam, N. X. (1985). Poetry to Learn and Enjoy: Criticism and Essays [Thơ tìm hiểu và thưởng thức: phê bình và tiểu luận]. New Works Publishing House.

[29] Naylor, P. (1999). Poetic Investigations: Singing the Holes in History. Northwestern University Press.

[30] Oppenheimer, P. (2020). Poetry and Freedom: Discoveries in Aesthetics, 1985–2018. Anthem Press.

[31] Pager-McClymont, K. (2021). Communicating emotions through surroundings: A stylistic model of pathetic fallacy. University of Huddersfield.

[32] Perkins, D. (1976). A History of Modern Poetry (Vol. 1). Harvard University Press.

[33] Phan, T. T. D. (2012). Lyrical Ego Contemporary Youth Poetry [Cái tôi trữ tình Thơ trẻ đương đại]. Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội.

[34] Pinsky, R. (2020). The Situation of Poetry: Contemporary Poetry and Its Traditions. Princeton University Press.

[35] Rappaport, B. (2010). Using the elements of rhythm, flow, and tone to create a more effective and persuasive acoustic experience in legal writing. Legal Writing: J. Legal Writing Inst., 16, 65.

[36] Sangeetha, J., & VennilA, V. (2023). Exploring verbal pleasure in select poems of Carol Ann Duffy. Boletin de Literatura Oral-The Literary Journal, 10(1), 3027–3034. http://www.boletindeliteraturaoral.com/index.php/bdlo/article/view/621

[37] Schein, S. L. (2016). Homeric Epic and Its Reception: Interpretive Essays. Oxford University Press.

[38] Shariatmadari, D. (2020). Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth about Language. W. W. Norton & Company.

[39] Shklovsky, V. (2023). On the Theory of Prose. Deep Vellum Publishing.

[40] Sourgen, G. O. (2013). ‘Artlessness and Artifice’: Byron and the Historicity of Poetic Form. University of Oxford.

[41] Starr, G. G. (2015). Lyric Generations: Poetry and the Novel in the Long Eighteenth Century. JHU Press.

[42] Strachan, J. (2011). Poetry. Edinburgh University Press.

[43] Su, T. D. (1995). The Worlds of Poetic Art [Những thế giới nghệ thuật thơ]. Education Publisher.

[44] Thomas, L. (2023). Psalms as Postmodern Poetry. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

[45] Thompson, D. (1978). The Uses of Poetry. Cambridge University Press.

[46] Tiffany, D. (2020). Lyric poetry and poetics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.

[47] Vaughn, M. L. (1989). The Experience of Writing Poetry: An Heuristic Investigation. The Union Institute.

[48] Williams, N. (2011). Contemporary Poetry. Edinburgh University Press.

[49] Yeh, J. (2022). Rhyme and metre. In Creative Writing (pp. 284–310). Routledge.

Abstract

References

How to cite