Christopher Bakken, the writer of Structure & Surprise‘s “The Ironic Structure,” has written a collection of faux-fragments from invented Greek texts which often employ the ironic turn. Check them out here.
Do note, though, that these fragments retain most of the ribald, carnivalesque worldliness and directness in terms of matters bodily and sexual of actual ancient Greek texts–they may not be suitable for all readers.
I prefer beer.
The above is a wonderfully funny poem created via a collaboration between Kiron Fowler and Jessica Obernuefemann, two students I met and worked with on Monday while visiting the poetry classroom of the excellent Tom McCulley at Heartland Community College in order to discuss Structure & Surprise. With its rising/falling, set-up/punch-line action, “Over a Seascape” is, of course, a fine example of the ironic structure.
Thanks, Kiron, Jessica, Tom, and all of Tom’s students–what a pleasure it was to get to discuss–and write!–poems with you!
Of course, everyone involved with Structure & Surprise hoped that it would be popular in schools, but schools of sardines?
Check out Structure & Surprise contributor D. A. Powell’s manifesto on the Poetry Foundation’s Harriet blog. Then scroll down through the comments to read the poem written by one “A Sardine.” A hilarious concessional poem!
Here’s a new poem employing the circular structure–a direct imitation of Jennifer Knox’s “The Opposite of Crunchberries”:
The Opposite of The Alphabet
The opposite of The Alphabet is
a stylish pullover.
The opposite of a stylish pullover is
Brussels sprouts.
The opposite of Brussels sprouts is
fuzzy dice.
The opposite of fuzzy dice is
The Ivory Coast.
The opposite of The Ivory Coast is
a monster truck rally.
The opposite of a monster truck rally is
gel pens.
The opposite gel pens is
a cinderblock.
The opposite of a cinderblock is
a ventilation shaft.
The opposite of a ventilation shaft is
a bloodbath.
The opposite of a bloodbath is
a water landing.
The opposite of a water landing is
a retarded butterfly.
The opposite of a retarded butterfly is
applesauce.
The opposite of applesauce is
the General Lee.
The opposite of the General Lee is
an 18% tip.
The opposite of an 18% tip is
a perp walk.
The opposite of a perp walk is
a steamer trunk.
The opposite of a steamer trunk is
Jose Canseco’s jockstrap.
The opposite of Jose Canseco’s jockstrap is
a whale song.
The opposite of a whale song is
spurring a tumbleweed
away from unwanted octuplets
and—onward!—
toward The Alphabet.
by Chip Corwin and Mike Theune
For some information about how Chip and I wrote this, click here.
Welcome to the Structure & Surprise blog.
This blog offers materials supplementary to the book Structure & Surprise: Engaging Poetic Turns, including additional poems, discussion of poems, and ideas for creative pedagogy. It also offers new material: new structures, a growing anthology of poems employing particularly thrilling turns, and theory and criticism of the poetic turn.
Explore, and enjoy!
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