Structure & Surprise

Fiction, of course, employs turns as often as poetry does.  Some commentators have recently chimed in about plot twists, those tired and those vibrant:

“7 Surprise Twists I’d Rather Live Without,” by Rebecca Joines Schinsky

“On Plot Twists,” at the Shelf Actualization blog

While it might be the case that in any period certain twists are overused, it’s important to note here that even the skeptical Rebecca Joines Schinsky acknowledges that when a twist goes well it is–in the words of poet John Keats–“a thing of beauty.” 

The same, undoubtedly, is the case with poetry: perform the turn well, and you’ve got a thing of beauty that will, indeed, be a joy forever.