The Disappearance of Classical Poetry: Guest Post by Molly McTernan

Molly McTernan is a young writer and poet and a good friend of mine. We've been critiquing each other's poetry for nearly a year now, and while we have very different styles and preferences, we've developed an appreciation for each other's poetry, and I think we've learned a lot from each other. I'm honored to have her guest post on my blog today. --Eris Cardin

The Disapperance of Classical Poetry by Molly McTernan

Is classical poetry dying with the modern world?

I feel that almost every time I pick up a poetry collection published recently, the poems inside are all free verse.  While I don’t necessarily have a problem with that format of poetry (and have used it multiple times myself), I have noticed a decrease in the more classical approach.

Now, before I go any farther, I would like to clarify what a ‘classical’ style of poetry looks like to me.  In my view, classical pieces are those that follow some sort of traditional form and are on enduring topics.  Of course, this could be viewed differently, but that is my personal take.

I would also like to note that while I do love reading classical poetry and always make sure that my poems have some sort of form (this is most often rhyming), I don’t always stick to a very strict style.

Now, while I’ve thought about what the reasoning could be for this decrease, several ideas came to mind - the main one is that being unique is looked very highly upon in today’s world.  People strive to stick out from the crowd, and so free verse may be an appealing and seemingly easy way to express one’s self.

Something to think about is the fact that poetry is a wonderful way to process thoughts.  While it might not be the first avenue you go down, I - and I think it’s safe to say many others - have found that it usually helps to get words on paper.  While you could take a free verse approach, I actually find a sort of freedom in the confinement of more structured poetry.

While I have noticed a sort of slow disappearance of classical poetry, and while it does sometimes disappoint me, I also find that I am not too surprised.  In my opinion, the style fits the strive for uniqueness that the world is putting in a spotlight.  

That being said, having grown up reading classical poems and being the person who loves old things that I am, I know that a part of me will always long for the at least semi-structured form.  I strive to fulfill that through my own work, but I also love to see others’ work as well.  

As people, we are always looking for the next big thing and tend to lose sight of all the little things that already happened.  There is much to learn from our past and our past creatives, much to learn from being uncomfortable and trying new things.  Today, I encourage you to look into some different formats of classical poetry and then to maybe try your hand at one.

You never know what you might find when you write a poem.

(Photo credit to Jo Anaya on Unsplash)