Tikrit University

Modern American Dramatization of Poetry: An Analytical Study of Selected Poems by Kenneth Koch

Document Type : Original Article

Author

College of Education, Al-Kitab University

Abstract
The ingenuity is to employ the dramatic elements in dramatizing a poem. The present paper assumes that the correlation between drama and poetry may facilitate this literary touch. Another assumption is that this sensitive relationship between these two genres lies on different circumstantial forces and necessities that are impacted by time and culture. To verify the ingenuity of creating dramatic poetry by transferring the dramatic elements into a poem, and to confirm the assumptions mentioned above, the present paper is devoted to analyze representative poems. Kenneth Koch (1925 – 2002) was an American author. He was a poet, playwright, and narrator. It may be said that he was the pacemaker of the movement of the modern dramatization of poetry. He was a nonstop writer until his death. He dramatized a great number of famous poems with important contribution in prospering the movement of dramatization of poetry like "Earth" (1959), "Thank You and Other Poems" (1962), "The Art of Love" (1975), "Duplications" (1977), "From the Air" (1979), "Days and Nights" (1982), "A Possible World" (2002), among others. It is worthy to say that most of his poems were translated into German. The present paper attempts to reach different aims concerning dramatization of poetry including declaring the literary relation of both drama and poetry, finding the way of employing the elements of drama in poetry, identifying the role of technology in supporting this movement, and stating the degree of harmony between the modern style in writing both poetry and drama. To achieve these aims, the paper chooses two different representative works by the prominent American poet, Kenneth Koch.

Keywords


Volume 3, Issue 2
Winter 2020
Pages 32-45

  • Receive Date 20 February 2020
  • Accept Date 15 March 2020
  • Publish Date 01 March 2020