Poetry

Break, Blow, Burn

Break, Blow, Burn

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  • Create Date：2021-04-09 08:53:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Camille Paglia
  • ISBN：0375725393
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Summary

America’s most provocative intellectual brings her blazing powers of analysis and appreciation to bear on the great poems of the Western tradition， and on some unexpected discoveries of her own。 Combining close reading with a panoramic breadth of learning， Camille Paglia refreshes our understanding of poems we thought we knew， from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73” to Shelley’s “Ozymandias，” from Donne’s “The Flea” to Lowell’s “Man and Wife，” and from Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” to Plath’s “Daddy。”

 Paglia also introduces us to less-familiar works by Paul Blackburn， Wanda Coleman， Chuck Wachtel， Rochelle Kraut–and even Joni Mitchell。 Daring， riveting， and beautifully written， Break， Blow， Burn will excite even seasoned poetry lovers， and create a generation of new ones。

 Includes a new epilogue that details the selection process for choosing the 43 poems presented in this book and provides commentary on some of the pieces that didn't make the final cut。

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Reviews

Tom C。 ，

Paglia spent twenty rigorous years researching and writing Sexual Personae， which is a classic。 After that， most of her books have been dashed off collections of interviews， salon columns， and the like。 In this book， her selection of poems and her explications of them are idiosyncratic。 Readers would be better off reading critics who specialize in poetry such as Helen Vendler， Stephanie Burt， Michael Theune， Ed Hirsch， Kenneth Koch， Tania Runyan， or Marjorie Perloff。 Or just skipping the critics Paglia spent twenty rigorous years researching and writing Sexual Personae， which is a classic。 After that， most of her books have been dashed off collections of interviews， salon columns， and the like。 In this book， her selection of poems and her explications of them are idiosyncratic。 Readers would be better off reading critics who specialize in poetry such as Helen Vendler， Stephanie Burt， Michael Theune， Ed Hirsch， Kenneth Koch， Tania Runyan， or Marjorie Perloff。 Or just skipping the critics altogether and heading straight for books of poems。 。。。more

John ，

One of the best books available to understand poems and how they work。 Astute， concise， and informed。 Paglia is， as her mentor Harold Bloom said， a superb reader。

Raya P Morrison ，

I did not always agree with the ways the author came to her conclusions， but this was a great invigorating read that will make you want to read more poetry。

Grace ，

Excellent example of how to analyze or just write about poetry without retreating into arcana。 I am definitely much better informed about the poems in question， but I can’t say this book made me appreciate them more。

Uroš Đurković ，

Ova knjiga izgrađena je na jednom krajnje jednostavnom konceptu – Palja piše 43 kratka eseja – analize razlčitih pesama – od Šekspira i Džona Dona （od čijeg je stiha pozajmljen naslov dela）， sve do Džoni Mičel。 U ovom poštovanja vrednom rasponu， Palja pokazuje svoju interpretativnu suverenost， podjednako dinamično pišući o Blejku， Emili Dikinson， Silviji Plat ili Geriju Snajderu。Svako ko je imao prilike da pogleda neki Paljin javni nastup， primetiće kako zna da bude ne samo zabavno， već i izuzet Ova knjiga izgrađena je na jednom krajnje jednostavnom konceptu – Palja piše 43 kratka eseja – analize razlčitih pesama – od Šekspira i Džona Dona （od čijeg je stiha pozajmljen naslov dela）， sve do Džoni Mičel。 U ovom poštovanja vrednom rasponu， Palja pokazuje svoju interpretativnu suverenost， podjednako dinamično pišući o Blejku， Emili Dikinson， Silviji Plat ili Geriju Snajderu。Svako ko je imao prilike da pogleda neki Paljin javni nastup， primetiće kako zna da bude ne samo zabavno， već i izuzetno naporno pratiti njen misaoni tok， jer joj reči jure misli kao gazele na federima。 Pričajući kao navijena， Palja uspeva da se posvađa sa sobom， sa čitaocem， sa prethodnim interpretativnim ćorsokacima， ali ujedno i da intrigira， provocira， razbistri um。 Ne pristajući na sve prisutniju teorijsku inerciju u humanistici， u kojoj svako sledeće čitanje postaje prepričavanje prepričavanja sa političkom dimenzijom， Palja odbija Bartovu smrt autora， političku korektnost， kao i danas preovlađujući „distant reading”。 Ukoliko odustanemo od autonomije književnog teksta， tumačeći ga samo kao rezultat kulture， ostaćemo uskraćeni za nešto što je bio sasvim jedinstven oblik izražavanja ljudskog iskustva。 Opet， nemoguće je i， uostalom， nepotrebno， izolovati tekst od svega onoga što je van teksta， jer svaki tekst predstavlja poziv za ostvarivanje svih mogućih njegovih veza sa vantekstualnim svetom。 Tako Palja pronalazi dobru meru i podseća nas na nešto što se čini očiglednim – tekst književnost je i autonomna i rezultat kulture i najbolji put do nje nije zaobilazni， pod okriljem nekakve teorije， već neposredno – čitanjem。 Najbolji način za čitanje Paljinih čitanja jeste nasumičan izbor。 Sasvim je dovoljno izdvojiti nekoliko pesama koje nekom deluje zanimljivo i pročitati eseje o njima。 Ipak， ako neko pročita celu knjigu， videće da postoje neizrečene paralele između sasvim raznorodnih pesnika。 Iako nigde ne govori o istorijskoj uslovljenosti dela， Palja pokazuje dijahronu komunikaciju tema i motiva， od kojih prednjače prikazi tela i prirode。 Tako bi neko mogao da izvuče više zanimljivih linija tradicije。 Takođe， ovo je knjiga， iako neretko sa izvrsnim zaključcima （posebno su mi u sećanju ostali eseji o Blejku， Vitmenu i Vordsvortu）， pisana za ljude koji nisu književni insajderi。 S jedne strane to je dobro – eseji su dostupniji široj publici， sa druge strane， ponekad se pažnja posvećuje nečemu što je krajnje osnovno （poput – šta je sonet）， da bi se na sledećoj stranici otvorilo neko veliko užestručno pitanje， poput teorije referencijalnosti， diskurzivnosti roda ili mehanicističke verzije prirode kod Dekarta i Njutna。 Uz to， postoji i izvesna neujednačenost u izboru pesnika。 Prosto， Teodor Retke， iako zanimljiv autor， nije Džon Don。 Bilo kako bilo， uzbudljiva knjiga， koja može da da makar blagi podsticaj， da književna misao izleči svoje rahitične noge。 。。。more

Brenna Crosby ，

One sentence synopsis。。。 An insightful， energetic， and thorough dissection of 43 of the greatest （sometimes shocking） poems in Western history。 。Read it if you liked。。。 Anyone from Shakespeare to Joni Mitchell。 Paglia has a knack for making high art relatable to modern readers。 。Further reading。。。 This book is the gateway drug to all kinds of other poetry。 Highly recommend。

J ，

This could have been a five-star book， and Paglia's enthusiasm， breadth of learning and audacious attempts to link stuff together almost merit six stars。 I really appreciated the non-theoretical， close reading approach （attention to prosody， sounds and words， with hints of biography， psychology， context， intertext， plus buckets of sympathy with the author and speaker）， which is the only way to enjoy poetry （rather than to enjoy the feeling of smugness or outrage engendered by re-finding one's ow This could have been a five-star book， and Paglia's enthusiasm， breadth of learning and audacious attempts to link stuff together almost merit six stars。 I really appreciated the non-theoretical， close reading approach （attention to prosody， sounds and words， with hints of biography， psychology， context， intertext， plus buckets of sympathy with the author and speaker）， which is the only way to enjoy poetry （rather than to enjoy the feeling of smugness or outrage engendered by re-finding one's own pet philosophy all over Donne， Shelley or whoever）。 Her reading of William Carlos Williams' brief words on the plums in the icebox was superb， as delicious as the fruit therein， as heartwarming as the love implied。 The essays on Herbert's 'The Quip'， Dickinson's 'Safe in their Alabaster Chambers'， Paul Blackburn's 'The Once-Over'， Mary Swenson's 'At East River' and Ralph Pomeroy's 'Corner' were top top top quality。 Oh， so was the one on Stevens' 'Disillousionment of Ten O'Clock' and the one on Russell's Tornado， and。。。I enjoyed quite a few poems I would not have otherwise encountered。 And Paglia's grumpy but passionate epilogue explaining her choices （in which she slates several modern poems for being too pretentious， and reprints a few great ones， too） was a real bonus。 The main weaknesses were that sex and God were everywhere， when they are not， in fact， everywhere （divine omnipresence notwithstanding） in the texts， and that some of the associations seemed rather strained （e。g。 a hearse in a Dickinson is apparently borrowed from a Blake。。。 um， no， more than one person has seen a hearse， and these two hearses appear differently， function differently， etc， etc， etc）。 In striving for so much， Paglia tries just a teensy bit too hard， and so this comes down at a 4。4 stars。But， Break， Blow， Burn is to be thoroughly recommended as it was immensely entertaining and informative。 The more good poetry and good poetry crit the better。 。。。more

Pablo Rojas ，

Hermoso y necesario libro。 Camille Paglia recopiló 43 poemas， desde Shakespeare hasta la actualidad。 El formato es sencillo， presenta el poema y luego hace un pequeño ensayo sobre él， su contexto， significado e interpretación。 Es un libro especialmente útil para aquellos （y me incluyo） que tenemos interés por la poesía pero nos resulta difícil， pesada o hasta incomprensible。 El libro no es académico y no adentra en cuestiones de formato/rima， sino en el contenido literario que presenta。 Denle un Hermoso y necesario libro。 Camille Paglia recopiló 43 poemas， desde Shakespeare hasta la actualidad。 El formato es sencillo， presenta el poema y luego hace un pequeño ensayo sobre él， su contexto， significado e interpretación。 Es un libro especialmente útil para aquellos （y me incluyo） que tenemos interés por la poesía pero nos resulta difícil， pesada o hasta incomprensible。 El libro no es académico y no adentra en cuestiones de formato/rima， sino en el contenido literario que presenta。 Denle una oportunidad。 。。。more

Mike ，

This was a great excuse to read poetry that's actually in English （translations and languages other than English were not included， which severely limits the "World's Best" of the title）， which I don't think I've done regularly since high school。 I love close readings， and while I disagreed with parts of many of these， overall it gave me a lot to think about that I hadn't considered （e。g。， the possibilities of slant rhymes used purposefully， instead of just "I couldn't think of an actual rhyme"） This was a great excuse to read poetry that's actually in English （translations and languages other than English were not included， which severely limits the "World's Best" of the title）， which I don't think I've done regularly since high school。 I love close readings， and while I disagreed with parts of many of these， overall it gave me a lot to think about that I hadn't considered （e。g。， the possibilities of slant rhymes used purposefully， instead of just "I couldn't think of an actual rhyme"）。Obviously， Paglia sees sex everywhere -- it's kind of her thing -- which was occasionally laughably applied， but mostly a blast to read about。 。。。more

Cian ，

3。5 - honestly， a complete delight to read！

Brian Glenn ，

For someone who doesn’t understand poetry， this was wonderfully helpful。

lawrence ，

I learned alot from this book on how to analyze a poem。 Paglia's highly imaginative interpretations encourage the reader to really dig deep and not be afraid if what they get out of a poem is different from someone else。 I thought some of her interpretations were quite far-fetched， but that is the joy of poetry。 As for her selection， no one's list of the 43 greatest poems is going to please everyone， but I was exposed to quite a few poets that I was unfamiliar with。 Having nothing from either Ez I learned alot from this book on how to analyze a poem。 Paglia's highly imaginative interpretations encourage the reader to really dig deep and not be afraid if what they get out of a poem is different from someone else。 I thought some of her interpretations were quite far-fetched， but that is the joy of poetry。 As for her selection， no one's list of the 43 greatest poems is going to please everyone， but I was exposed to quite a few poets that I was unfamiliar with。 Having nothing from either Ezra Pound or T。S。 Eliot is indeed a huge omission， but， hey， its her book！ 。。。more

Sue ，

Camille Paglia has her own individualistic & sometimes idiosyncratic takes on the 43 "best" poems she's discusses in this book。 I periodically take her book out & read her interpretation of some of the poems。 Camille Paglia has her own individualistic & sometimes idiosyncratic takes on the 43 "best" poems she's discusses in this book。 I periodically take her book out & read her interpretation of some of the poems。 。。。more

David ，

Delightful book full stop。

Corey Wozniak ，

Poetry criticism should not be so sexy， or so fun to read。

Katy ，

I really enjoyed this book- I thoroughly enjoy a close reading of a poem， and Camille Paglia is undeniably brilliant。 However， Break Blow Burns is a prime example of how ‘best’ is subjective。 While it proclaims to examine 43 of the world’s best poems， I must protest that the selection is not representative of *my* 43 best， or anywhere near it。 A few selections I resoundingly agreed with but I was distracted by what was notably left out and disappointed to see some poets more heavily represented I really enjoyed this book- I thoroughly enjoy a close reading of a poem， and Camille Paglia is undeniably brilliant。 However， Break Blow Burns is a prime example of how ‘best’ is subjective。 While it proclaims to examine 43 of the world’s best poems， I must protest that the selection is not representative of *my* 43 best， or anywhere near it。 A few selections I resoundingly agreed with but I was distracted by what was notably left out and disappointed to see some poets more heavily represented while others were entirely neglected。 3。5 stars of 5。 。。。more

Mike ，

This book has given me a greater appreciation for poetry than I could have ever imagined。 Additionally， it's helped me with my understanding of artistic critique in general - from books to movies。 While it isn't marketed this way （why would it？）， this has been a great self-help book for me。 A big thank you to Camille Paglia！ This book has given me a greater appreciation for poetry than I could have ever imagined。 Additionally， it's helped me with my understanding of artistic critique in general - from books to movies。 While it isn't marketed this way （why would it？）， this has been a great self-help book for me。 A big thank you to Camille Paglia！ 。。。more

Carlos Oliver ，

Right from the preface， I was very excited by this book。 Paglia's call to adventure here is the revival of the beauty and spirit of English verse from Shakespeare to Sexton for the the lay person to appreciate。 She frames this aim in the unfortunate context of today's pseudo-moralistic 'critical theory' movement。 Her means to this noble end is a collection of English poems， each accompanied by a short close reading which I believe more than accomplished her goal。 The collection is meticulously c Right from the preface， I was very excited by this book。 Paglia's call to adventure here is the revival of the beauty and spirit of English verse from Shakespeare to Sexton for the the lay person to appreciate。 She frames this aim in the unfortunate context of today's pseudo-moralistic 'critical theory' movement。 Her means to this noble end is a collection of English poems， each accompanied by a short close reading which I believe more than accomplished her goal。 The collection is meticulously curated in chronological order and the analysis of each work blends in with the next masterfully。 The essays are written in a clear， confident， and often humorous style which is very refreshing。 Paglia sheds a light on countless subtle details of each poem that go unnoticed on the first read to revive the genius of those 'crusty old white men' and lets them shine on their own （each poem has a full page devoted to itself）。 Despite their brevity， all the essays touch on the historical context， stylistic， and philosophical qualities of each work。 Most impressive was Paglia's ability to maintain an objective voice avoid a didactic tone， while effectively transmitting to the reader something of an education or set of tools for reading poetry outside of this collection。 Excellent work。 。。。more

Kenan Hamarsheh ，

Paglia offers a unique perspective when it comes to analyzing poems。 She chose a bonafide selection of poems， and analyzed each and everyone one。 Her analysis is constantly top notch， and she rarely misses a thought。 Her explanation is always clear and concise。 My only problem with Paglia’s writing is her constant connections to sex。 While I understand that Paglia’s appeal （and her shtick） is about sex， some poems really have nothing to do with sex。 In some poems， such as Leda and The Swan by Ye Paglia offers a unique perspective when it comes to analyzing poems。 She chose a bonafide selection of poems， and analyzed each and everyone one。 Her analysis is constantly top notch， and she rarely misses a thought。 Her explanation is always clear and concise。 My only problem with Paglia’s writing is her constant connections to sex。 While I understand that Paglia’s appeal （and her shtick） is about sex， some poems really have nothing to do with sex。 In some poems， such as Leda and The Swan by Yeats， sex is the focal point of the poem。 In such cases， it is appropriate to discuss sex and its effect on one’s understanding of the poem。 On the other hand， some brilliant poems， which have nothing to do with sex， should not be connected to sex， just for the sake of the book’s theme。 Composed Upon Westminster Bridger， by William Wordsworth， for example has nothing to do with sex。 It is a brilliant poem about the state of society because of the Industrial Revolution。 It was never hinted that sex plays any part in this poem， yet Paglia tore it to shreds and somehow connected it to sex。 While it is brilliant how she connects so many things to sex， it is not needed in many cases。 If Paglia really wanted to keep the theme of the book constant， she should’ve chosen a collection of poems that slightly hint at sex， but not explicitly。 She would’ve been to showcase her brilliant skill of connecting poems to sex， while keeping the theme of the book coherent。 In my opinion， even though her analysis is brilliant， she loses some credibility because of all the sex talk。 All in all， this is not a bad book。 It offers great explanations and a unique type of analysis。 。。。more

Emmett ，

Camille Paglia makes a convincing case that anyone can （learn to） read poetry and appreciate their beauty， and even song lyrics from pop culture can attain that laurel。 This lucid and entertaining anthology of poetry and criticism is a showcase of that。 It is loosely chronological， progressing from Shakespeare to Blake to the Romantics， after which her sampler of Modernism takes an American turn， selecting Wallace Stevens and Theodore Roethke over T。S。 Eliot and Ezra Pound （William Carlos Willia Camille Paglia makes a convincing case that anyone can （learn to） read poetry and appreciate their beauty， and even song lyrics from pop culture can attain that laurel。 This lucid and entertaining anthology of poetry and criticism is a showcase of that。 It is loosely chronological， progressing from Shakespeare to Blake to the Romantics， after which her sampler of Modernism takes an American turn， selecting Wallace Stevens and Theodore Roethke over T。S。 Eliot and Ezra Pound （William Carlos Williams is her Imagist， and a far finer one， too）。 One drawback is that her prejudices for Jungian and Freudian thought show， and not always convincingly。 Though I am sure that because of her intellectual influences she would argue otherwise， sex isn't everywhere and implicit in every poem， and how one make take it depends both on the tropes of literary canon as well as the context in which they present itself， which renders in this reader's view some of her interpretations illegitimate。 。。。 Although Paglia remains always interesting: decisive， expressive， wry， very observant。 Her prose a mix of heavy-handedness and graceful turns of phrase。 It mirrors an essay one would encounter in an English Literature class written by an intellectually mature and very knowledgeable adult， and consequently entices this reader with the image of ordinary working adults everywhere reading， learning and loving and talking about art。 Many of these poems would not ordinarily be counted among 'the world's greatest'， but she convincingly makes the case for their appreciation and， in this reader， a curiosity for the poet's other works。 In the last essay on Joni Mitchell's 'Woodstock'， one senses Paglia's generous sensitivity with which she encounters a piece of creative work when she moves from the lyrical content to the observation that song lyrics rarely present themselves well on the page （-cough- publishers are you listening？）， and observes the poetic nature of 'Woodstock' on the contrary。 She is willing to walk where the poems lead， and if only she does it more often， but for our times， this is more than enough。Readings/poems of note - 'Woodstock' （Joni Mitchell）， 'Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers' （Emily Dickinson）， 'Jazzonia' （Langston Hughes）， 'Cuttings'， 'Root Cellar' （Theodore Roethke）， 'This is Just to Say' （William Carlos Williams）， 'Anecdote of the Jar' （Wallace Stevens）， 'The Second Coming'， 'Leda and the Swan' （W。B。 Yeats） 。。。more

Emily ，

A great introduction to the world of poetry。 The collection is well curated， and her essays insightful。

Damien Leri ，

A great way to understand some of the best （and most famous） poems in english。

Robin ，

I wanted this to be less Western dead white men。 While it isn't all hegemonic， it's a lot more than it needs to be -- and a lot less revolutionary than you would think。 I also found that some elements of the readings were forced without enough support to sustain the interpretation。 Not most of them， but more than I expected。 I wanted this to be less Western dead white men。 While it isn't all hegemonic， it's a lot more than it needs to be -- and a lot less revolutionary than you would think。 I also found that some elements of the readings were forced without enough support to sustain the interpretation。 Not most of them， but more than I expected。 。。。more

Mitch ，

"This book is intended for a general audience" reads the very first line。 Thank God this book exists for dilettantes like me！ You really get exactly what you ask for。 One or two page poetry excerpts followed by a tastefully short and impassioned analysis。 An absolutely perfect introduction to poetry。 "This book is intended for a general audience" reads the very first line。 Thank God this book exists for dilettantes like me！ You really get exactly what you ask for。 One or two page poetry excerpts followed by a tastefully short and impassioned analysis。 An absolutely perfect introduction to poetry。 。。。more

Isabelle B。L ，

I enjoy listening to Camille Paglia speak but I do think she can say what she intends to say in fewer words。 This book is no different。 I enjoyed reading poetry that I have never come across and her commentary is appreciated。 A well-researched book。

Neesha ，

This was an amazing collection of poem analyses。 I've always enjoyed poetry but felt intimidated trying to interpret it， and this took some of the mystery/difficulty out of it for me。 Paglia's insight and wit were wonderful。 I especially enjoyed the Shakespearean sonnets， The Flea （Donne）， To His Coy Mistress （Marvell）， The Second Coming （Yeats）， Because I Could Not Stop for Death （Dickinson）， This is Just to Say （Williams）， Daddy （Plath）， My Makeup （Kraut）， and Woodstock （Mitchell）。 This was an amazing collection of poem analyses。 I've always enjoyed poetry but felt intimidated trying to interpret it， and this took some of the mystery/difficulty out of it for me。 Paglia's insight and wit were wonderful。 I especially enjoyed the Shakespearean sonnets， The Flea （Donne）， To His Coy Mistress （Marvell）， The Second Coming （Yeats）， Because I Could Not Stop for Death （Dickinson）， This is Just to Say （Williams）， Daddy （Plath）， My Makeup （Kraut）， and Woodstock （Mitchell）。 。。。more

Joseph ，

Excellent。

Karen ，

Learning about Gay Hollywood: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=k1mhG。。。 Learning about Gay Hollywood: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=k1mhG。。。 。。。more

Leisha Wharfield ，

It's a Poetry 101 book written by Camille Paglia， so that makes it worth reading。 It's a Poetry 101 book written by Camille Paglia， so that makes it worth reading。 。。。more

Jess ，

This is one of those books that I respected much more than I enjoyed。Break， Blow， Burn was recommended to me in preparation for Oxford's entrance exam but I think this only made it all the more daunting。 Paglia's searing powers of analysis and her stunning prose are unparalleled; she is indeed an 'academic rottweiler'。 Paglia breaks down an extremely diverse range of poetry all the way from Shakespeare to Pomeroy， and even Joni Mitchell makes a guest appearance。 The contextual details were fasci This is one of those books that I respected much more than I enjoyed。Break， Blow， Burn was recommended to me in preparation for Oxford's entrance exam but I think this only made it all the more daunting。 Paglia's searing powers of analysis and her stunning prose are unparalleled; she is indeed an 'academic rottweiler'。 Paglia breaks down an extremely diverse range of poetry all the way from Shakespeare to Pomeroy， and even Joni Mitchell makes a guest appearance。 The contextual details were fascinating， but the references to American culture and associated jargon went straight over my head。 Nothing like I've ever read before and incredibly insightful。 My favourite chapters included Donne's The Flea， Shelley's Ozymandias， Coleridge's Kebula Khan， Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death and Roethke's The Visitant。What is it they say about the aspirational nature of readership？！CAN I PLEASE HAVE PAGLIA'S BRAIN！！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Break, Blow, Burn

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Break, Blow, Burn&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Break, Blow, Burn&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0