I somehow managed to miss that Make Lemonade was written in verse, so when I started to read it I was caught off guard. It took me a long time to get used to the style and flow of the writing, so I did not find it to be a quick read. However, I did find that I felt very satisfied after I'd finished reading it. I will readily admit that I'm not a person who finds reading poetry enjoyable; understanding its subtleties does not come easily to me, not that something has to be easy to be enjoyed. But I found the poetry presented in this way, in a novel written in verse, to be much less intimidating to me. Since I approached it as a novel, not a book of poems, I didn't stress out about not being able to understand the author's purpose and ideas.
I have no experience with other novels written in verse, so I don't have anything to compare to Make Lemonade. I imagine that I would find the same thing to be true, though, that poetry in this form is more accessible and less intimidating even for adult readers. I am interested to read the other books in Wolff's series to see if they are all as accessible as Make Lemonade.
I think the fact that poetry in this form is more accessible may be one of the reasons that it has become popular for young adult audiences. These students are being introduced to poetry formally in schools, the different styles and requirements for flow and other technical aspects of writing a poem. This, I'm sure, turns many readers off, but being exposed to the free form style of the poems in these novels is probably refreshing to this audience. Without having to worry about all of the technicalities of some forms of poetry, some students may find this style particularly appealing, and a good outlet for their feelings (something I think most young adults are in search of). In the way that The Invention of Hugo Cabret can help discouraged readers feel successful, I think novels written in verse can help young and discouraged potential lovers of poetry discover the pleasure of a poem.
Hi Margaret!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the fact that approaching the verse novel as a novel would make poetry less intimidating. I think that's a great point, because (as a reader) I feel very differently about picking up a collection of poems and picking up a novel.
Your extension of that point to explain why young readers may appreciate the form makes a lot of sense to me. Typically, I tend to think of poetry as an adult genre. If this is a prevalent bias, it might make it harder for young people to approach poetry. Fitting it into a novel format, like you said, might make it more approachable.