Description
Book SynopsisCarefully considering the difference in the philosophical potential of page poetry and performance poetry, Karen Simecek argues that it is only by considering them side by side that the unique cognitive value of each can be realised.
Focusing on spoken word poetry reveals the importance of voice and embodied words to the differing epistemic rewards of engaging with contemporary works of poetry in both private reading and live performance. This concept of embodied voice progresses a new line of thinking in the cognitivism debate and unlocks the philosophical value of engaging with poetry. Simecek's discussion of performed poetry also advances discussions of affect and experience in contemporary analytic aesthetics which raise new insights and connections within the field.
The moral significance of the differing effects of poetry finds comprehensive articulation through a rich philosophical analysis of the thoughts and affects which arise in particular contexts. Simece
Trade Review
In this engaging and subtly argued study, Karen Simecek draws illuminating comparisons between poetry on the page and poetry in performance, shedding new light on the thought that both, in classical terms, can in their own ways “instruct” as well as give “pleasure”. * Peter Lamarque, Professor of Philosophy, University of York, UK *
Focusing on contemporary poetry and bringing the lyric together with performance poetry, Karen Simecek’s fine book develops a conception of voice as a relational centering of perspective and demonstrates the cognitive value of poetry as embodied action, engaging readers and listeners in patterns of value and encouraging humility. * Jonathan Culler, Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature, emeritus, Cornell University, USA *
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. Philosophy of Lyric Voice 2. Reading Voices; Hearing Voices 3. A Sense of Us: Individual and Collective Voices 4. Embodied Voices 5. Poetic Cognitivism Index
