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Poetry is I say essentially a vocabulary just as prose is essentially not. And what is the vocabulary of which poetry absolutely is. It is a vocabulary based on the noun as prose is essentially and determinately and vigorously not based on the noun. Poetry is concerned with using with abusing, with losing with wanting with denying with avoiding with adoring with replacing the noun. It is doing that always doing that, doing that doing nothing but that. Poetry is doing nothing but using losing refusing and pleasing and betraying and caressing nouns. That is what poetry does, that is what poetry has to do no matter what kind of poetry it is. And there are a great many kinds of poetry. So that is poetry really loving the name of anything and that is not prose.

Gertrude Stein#39

LanguagePoetry

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker distinguishes poetry from prose by its intense focus on the use and abuse of nouns.
In plain terms
Poetry focuses on words and nouns while prose does not.
What can you take from it?
Poetry treats words as tools to be used and abused.

Where it applies

  • writing analysis
  • creative writing
  • literary theory

Putting it to work

  • experiment with word choice
  • focus on nouns

Questions to consider

  • How do you use words in your writing?
  • What is the difference between prose and poetry?

Another view

Many poets also use prose elements effectively.

More from Gertrude Stein

  1. Remarks are not literature.

    Permalink to quote #38
  2. When I said. 'A rose is a rose is a rose.' And then later made that into a ring I made poetry and what did I do? I caressed completely caressed and addressed a…

    Permalink to quote #40
  3. I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.

    Permalink to quote #37

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