The Poetical Power of Limits

As any poet knows, there is power in limits. The limits of rhyme, or meter, or of letter choice often open up meaning horizons that could not have been seen or reached within the abandon of free verse. Forced to rhyme a particular word, another word occurs that might not have been considered otherwise; forced to stay within a certain syllabic bounce brings about surprising rhythms; and forced to choose words based on their letters, not on their meanings, often leads to unforeseen possibilities of significance. And yes, there's undoubtedly a lesson in all that for the realms of life that are not so poetic. In short, structure can lead to freedom.

No writer knows this better than Canadian Christian Bök. For over a decade now, Bök has been publishing and reading his poems, many of which hinge on letter experiments. In short, he gives himself limits so he can let himself go.

His most famous work is Eunoia, which consists of univocalics; i.e., each chapter uses only one vowel in each of its five chapters. Eunoia took Bök seven years to write; of the text he said, "[this] book proves that each vowel has its own personality, and demonstrates the flexibility of the English language." The book was a bestseller in his home country, and earned him the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2002.

For an amazing example of Bök's abilities, check this out. Now that's the poetical power of limits.

Photo via Imgur.com.