Speculative poetry
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Speculative poetry is a genre of
Due to the similarity of subject matter, it is often published by the same markets that publish
History
Much of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century used techniques seen in modern fantasy literature: retellings of classical mythology and European folklore, both to show alternative angles in the stories and to explore social issues. Many distinguished poets here were women, and many used folktales as an acceptable social camouflage with which to explore feminist concerns. One of the most celebrated of these poems, Christina Rossetti's 1862 "Goblin Market", remains a source of critical debate.[4]
Andrew Joron wrote in 1981, that over the past decade in the United States "it was possible to create a tradition, that established and defined the genre" of science fiction poetry.
In common with the gradual recognition of science fiction and fantasy as distinct literary genres in the 1930s, science-fictional poetry began publication as a distinct genre in the
In the 1960s, anthologies of original speculative material began to be published. F&SF ceased accepting poetry in 1977, a gap in the market taken up by the newly established
By 1990, Asimov's remained the major news-stand market, but a diverse array of predominantly US-based small press markets had developed, many lasting several decades, and many choosing purely electronic publication post-2000. This is in common with mainstream written poetry in the US over this time.[7]
SFPA (now called the
Subgenres and themes
Science fiction
Science fiction poetry's main sources are the sciences and the literary movement of science fiction prose.[9]
Scientifically-informed verse, sometimes termed poetry of science, is a branch that has either scientists and their work or scientific phenomena as its primary focus; it may also use scientific jargon as metaphor.
Mythic
Mythic poetry deals with myth and folklore, with a particular focus on reinterpreting and retelling traditional stories.
Horror
Horror poetry is a subset which, in the same way as horror fiction, concentrates on ghostly, macabre, spectral, supernatural themes. Modern horror poetry may also introduce themes of sadism, violence, gore, and the like.
Weird
Weird poetry is a subset. It differs in several important ways from straightforward modern horror poetry. It arises from the early 20th century literary tradition of 'the weird' also known as weird fiction, in which certain groups of authors collectively attempted to move beyond tired old stories of haunted castles, graveyard ghosts, and suave vampires. It tends to be concerned with the subtly uncanny, and is expressed in macabre and serious tones. The atmospheres of a certain place may be evoked, and the narrator may discover certain weird details of that place which arouse a sense of unexplainable dread. Some weird poetry will describe timeless geological forces or the night sky, trying to harness the feeling of dread to a wider and sublime 'cosmic awe' about mankind's insignificance in the universe. Yet the narrators of such poetry tend to be unreliable, and may perhaps be on the edge of madness. They may describe or hint at unreal nature-defying events which occur in otherwise normal places - although without the overt technical explanation found in science fiction, and without the violence and sadism common to modern post-1970 horror. S. T. Joshi's short book of essays Emperors of Dreams: Some Notes on Weird Poetry (2008) examines a number of key weird poets. While weird poetry has appeared in a vast array of anthologies and journals (both professional and small-press), perhaps the first journal devoted exclusively to this form is Spectral Realms, founded in 2013 by editor S.T. Joshi and published by Hippocampus Press.
Noted poets
See also
- New Weird
- Scifaiku
- Slipstream (genre)
- Speculative art
- Speculative fiction
References
- Notes
- Citations
- ^ Elgin, Suzette Haden. "About Science Fiction Poetry". Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ "The SFPA Rhysling Awards and Anthology". Science Fiction Poetry Association. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ "SFWA Adds Poetry and Translation As Qualifying Works for Membership".
- ^ Reid 2009, pp. 23–33
- ^ Reid 2009, pp. 94–5
- ^ Reid 2009, pp. 95–6
- ^ Reid 2009, p. x
- ^ Reid 2009, pp. 98–9
- ^ Moore 2003, p. 10
- ^ a b Reid 2009, p. 95
- Bibliography
- Morse, Andrew David (2003), "A new discipline of vision": The synthesis of poetic and scientific epistemologies in contemporary speculative verse (PhD dissertation), University of Oregon, p. 241
- Johnston, Nancy (2003), "'I would have swallowed the kiss'; Reflections on Feminist Speculative Poetry", Femspec, 2 (1), San Francisco: 38
- Reid, Robin Anne, ed. (2009), Women in science fiction and fantasy, vol. 1, Greenwood Press
Further reading
- The Year's Best Science Fiction, edited by Harry Harrison and Brian Aldiss, a nine volume anthology series which included a poetry section in every volume.
- August Derleth ed. Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy and the Macabre. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1947. Crucial anthology of 65 poets ranging from border balladeers to moderns.
- August Derleth ed. Fire and Sleet and Candlelight: New Poems of the Macabre. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1961. Anthology of 93 poets, mainly moderns.
- ISBN 1-930847-81-5 [1]
- Frazier, Robert, ed. Burning with a Vision: Poetry of Science and the Fantastic. Philadelphia: Owlswick press, 1984. Fantastic poetry by moderns from Diane Ackerman to Al Zolynas.
- Lovecraft, Charles. "Echoes in the Wilderness: Weird Poetry in Australia". Futurian Observer No 1 (new series) (April 2010), pp. 15–16. Pioneering checklist of weird and fantastic poems by Australian writers.
- ISBN 9780313263248
- W.H. Pugmire and Leigh Blackmore.
- ISBN 978-0-9804625-3-1
External links
- Speculative Poetry: A Symposium, Part 1 of 2 (Strange Horizons)
- Speculative Poetry: A Symposium, Part 2 of 2 (Strange Horizons)
- The Failure of Genre Poetry by Bruce Boston at the Fortean Bureau
- Dialogues by Starlight: Three Approaches to Writing SF Poetry[dead link] by Michael Collings
- Frazier, Robert (2005). "Alchemical Post-Its A Primer on Fantastic Poetry". Yesterday's Island. Archived from the original on 15 November 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- "SFPA Rhysling Award Archive". SFPA. Retrieved April 10, 2012.