Episode 173: By Heart: On Memory, Poetry, and Form
Jul 10, 2024
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Shannon Taggart, an advocate for the interplay of memory and poetry, joins the conversation to explore how we engage with verses beyond mere memorization. The discussion emphasizes the emotional resonance found in reciting poetry from memory, illustrating the deep connections between bodily experience and artistic expression. Taggart delves into the transformative power of forms like meter and rhyme, while reflecting on the importance of memory in shaping identity and navigating loss. Ultimately, they celebrate poetry as a vital bridge to our past and shared humanity.
Learning poetry by heart enriches our emotional and mental faculties, offering a holistic connection to our authentic selves.
Reciting memorized poetry transforms text into an internal landscape, deepening our personal identity and interpretation of the world.
Rhyme and meter are crucial for memorization, reviving traditional verse forms that enhance emotional understanding and performance.
Deep dives
The Value of Poetry Memorization
Learning poetry by heart is perceived as a deeply enriching practice that connects the individual to their emotional and mental faculties. The hosts emphasize that the phrase 'learned by heart' evokes a sense of warmth and embodiment, distinguishing it from the more detached term 'memorized.' Engaging with poetry in this way integrates the entirety of one’s being—mind, body, emotion, and spirit—into the recitation experience. This holistic approach is likened to musical performance, where the act of playing or reciting brings a person back to their authentic self.
The Relationship Between Memory and Experience
Memory serves as a critical link to our identity and interpretation of the world, and reciting poetry engages this relationship on a profound level. The hosts discuss how memorizing poetry transforms the text into an internal landscape rather than just a series of words, allowing for a deeper connection with its meaning. This practice challenges the modern reliance on external sources for memory, pushing individuals to cultivate their internal resources. The analogy is made to memory palaces, where memorization creates a vivid mental space inhabited by the poetry, shaping personal identity.
The Role of Rhyme and Meter in Poetry
Rhyme and meter emerge as essential components for memorization and performance, providing structure and musicality that resonate with the heart and mind. The hosts argue for the resurrection of traditional verse forms that were once thought antiquated, highlighting their effectiveness in aiding memory. This connection is made through the historical lens of bards and poets who memorized extensive works, relying on rhythmic patterns to commit lines to memory. The idea posits that these forms lend themselves to a deeper emotional and experiential understanding of poetry.
Imaginal Dimensions of Poetic Experience
Engaging with poetry goes beyond mere comprehension; it invites a journey into an imaginal world that invites personal transformation and exploration. The hosts discuss how the act of recitation allows the reader to embody the poem, creating a sense of consubstantiality where one's identity merges with the text. This experience transcends the intellectual understanding, emphasizing an experiential interaction that is vital to the essence of poetry. The discussion extends to how the fragmented nature of poems mirrors the complexity of human experience, allowing for new interpretations with every reading.
Cultural Memory and Society's Relationship with Knowledge
The conversation touches on the decline of communal memory in contemporary society, where technological advancements have led to a reliance on external sources for information. The hosts draw parallels to historical societies that relied on memorized texts, which shaped their cultural identity and understanding of the world. They argue that what we choose to remember fundamentally influences who we are, and they call for a revival of memory-centric practices to reconnect with cultural roots. This challenge to modern amnesia highlights the importance of actively engaging with literature and poetry to foster a meaningful relationship with knowledge.
In this computerized age, we tend to see memory as a purely cerebral faculty. To memorize is to store information away in the brain in such a way as to make it retrievable at a later time. But the old expression "knowing by heart" calls us to a stranger, more embodied and mysterious take on memory. In this episode, Phil and JF endeavour to recite two poems they've learned by heart, as a preamble to a discussion on poetry, form, and the magic of memory.
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