Why is poetry so aesthetic?
The Aesthetic Allure of Poetry: From Wilde to Instagram
The artform of poetry has a longstanding tradition of captivating readers with its intricate plays of language, rhythm, and emotion. Considering “aesthetic poetry” which encompasses a genre that values beauty and artistic qualities of its subject matter and composition. From historical influences like Oscar Wilde and Walter Pater the “art for the sake of art” concept is further brought into our contemporary lives through social media. The aesthetic allure of poetry continues its evolution through time, from classical epics to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” it forges its way into our lives.
Historically aesthetic poetry is rooted in historical movements and is associated with them specifically, such as the Romantic or Decadent movements. These movements each have their own philosophical concepts, all portrayed and brought to life through figures like Oscar Wilde, Walter Pater, Théophile Gautier, and Edgar Allen Poe. These poets blend classical and contemporary styles to shape aesthetic poetry into a genre that adores the power of language to evoke imagery and sensory experiences.
Aesthetic Poetry has 4 general yet distinguishing aspects that captivates and allures audiences:
Emphasis on Beauty: aesthetic poets intentionally focus on conveying meaning through each line of the poetry that enchants their readers with varied interpretations.
Vivid Visual Imagery: the imagery aesthetic poetry provides its audience is vividly expressed through descriptive language and metaphorical expressions that stimulate the reader’s imagination.
Profound Emotional Intensity: this genre evokes deep emotions in the reader by employing the use of particular words to evoke emotional resonance.
Attentiveness to Form and Structure: aesthetic poetry pays intricate attention to formal aspects of rhyme, rhythm, and meter to contribute to its resonance in the reader and overall aesthetic appeal.
Aesthetic Poetry’s role in influencing broader movements and forming a time scape for them is crucial to understand why poetry is aesthetic. Poetry’s contribution to the dialogue between for, structure, content, and symbolism provide aesthetic to the literature. Symbolism in the decadent movement, for example, highlights how aesthetic principles transcend boundaries of poetry influencing art forms through emphasizing its themes of decay, decadence, and fascination with the morbid.
Even now, with the advent of technology, social media has transformed poetry itself. Aesthetic poetry has found new ways of expression in combining visual aspects like sketches of photographs that provide depth to the resonance of emotional language.
Oscar Wilde’s decadent surroundings to the Instagram posts adorned with visually striking verses, aesthetic poetry has maintained an allure across the centuries. Its ability to blend classical and contemporary expression ensures that the genre can continue to evolve and captivates readers with the timeless beauty of language and artistic expression.
Citations:
Gibson, John (ed.), 'Introduction: The Place of Poetry in Contemporary Aesthetics', in John Gibson (ed.), The Philosophy of Poetry (Oxford, 2015; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 June 2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603671.003.0001, accessed 4 Feb. 2024.
King, James. “Aesthetic Poetry - Exploring the Best of Artistic Verse.” James King Blog, 26 Nov. 2023, jamoroki.com/aesthetic-poetry/?expand_article=1. accessed 4 Feb. 2024.
Trad, Jessica. “The Value of Aesthetic Poetry.” WORDY by Nature, 7 Nov. 2019, wordybynature.org/the-value-of-aesthetic-poetry/. accessed 4 Feb. 2024.
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