Serious Concerns

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Wendy Cope writes quite simple poetry, and I happen to enjoy a simplistic approach to a poem every now and then (I even enjoy the occasional Rupi Kaur). I think this collection shows the two sides of this kind of style: on one hand, poems like the iconic „The Orange“ really show how effective a simple poem utilizing casual language evocatively can be, and that short, funny ones like „Loss“ that almost read more like jokes than poems, work great as interludes. Wendy Cope: 'We like being married but we should have had a choice' ". The Guardian. 14 February 2014 . Retrieved 16 February 2017.

Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope | Goodreads Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope | Goodreads

Wendy Cope is not just a comic poet, and she can often move us with her touching account of falling in love (or, for that matter, out of love, or, for another matter, being single and not having anyone to love). This poem is a prime example. If one compares this with the first four lines of ‘The Waste Land’, it is possible to see the divergences and why the parody is effective: a b Lewis, Helen (3 December 2011). "Wendy Cope interview: "I can't die until I've sorted out the filing cabinets" ". New Statesman . Retrieved 23 November 2016. The tone, however, is light-hearted, and the character of the subject, her warmth and friendliness, comes over vividly to the reader. The poet conveys affection for her subject, whether Eliza/Nanna is fictional or autobiographical.Four collections of her adult poetry have been published, Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis in 1986, Serious Concerns in 1992, If I Don't Know in 2001, and Family Values in 2011. She has also edited several anthologies of comic verse and was a judge of the 2007 Man Booker Prize. In 1998, she was voted the listeners' choice in a BBC Radio 4 poll to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate. When Andrew Motion's term as Poet Laureate came to an end in 2009, Cope was again widely considered a popular candidate, although she believes the post should be discontinued. Carol Ann Duffy succeeded Motion as Poet Laureate.

Serious Concerns - Wendy Cope - Google Books Serious Concerns - Wendy Cope - Google Books

Five collections of her adult poetry have been published, Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis in 1986, Serious Concerns in 1992, If I Don't Know in 2001, Family Values in 2011, and Anecdotal Evidence in 2018. She has also edited several anthologies of comic verse and was a judge of the 2007 Man Booker Prize. [ citation needed] Lccn 92175168 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Openlibrary OL1306963M Openlibrary_edition As remarked above, Wendy Cope can move us as well as amuse us. And although she is known for writing about the everyday, she has also occasionally engaged with more momentous events.Excellent read for cheering anybody up on a rainy day, whether real or emotional rain. I think my favourite verse is the first one from "Men and Their Boring Arguments":

Wendy Cope – Names | Genius Wendy Cope – Names | Genius

Cope's second collection came out in 1992, a full six years after her first. It's another slim volume, Cope never being the most prolific poet – nevertheless, it was this that cemented her reputation, and when Ted Hughes died in 1998 she was the popular choice to replace him as Poet Laureate. Instead it went to Andrew Motion. (Cope's name came up again when Motion stepped down in 2009, but this time Liz decided – probably rightly – on Carol Ann Duffy.) In terms of popularity, it is clear what fans prefer. Serious Concerns stands as Cope's most popular book, even thirty years later. In a top-ten list of "must read" Cope poems, [16] every one of the top five are from either Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis or Serious Concerns. There's no doubt that these poems are what resonates with readers. However, Cope herself disagrees with the concept of a "Wendy Cope anthem", and doesn't believe her poetry could be categorized in this way. Cope's progression and growth, along with her willingness to discuss difficult subjects in her writing, is distinct and unquestionably commendable. Some fans are displeased with the changes and prefer that initial lighthearted approach, but one of the best comic poets from the past fifty years has every authority to develop her style and not to be confined by expectations created by her accomplishments". [15] urn:lcp:seriousconcerns00cope:epub:30ba03d2-dbca-44fd-af95-47188b74c3cd Extramarc Duke University Libraries Foldoutcount 0 Identifier seriousconcerns00cope Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t21c4sx2j Invoice 11 Isbn 9780571167050 Before I got married, I used to think about the dating game as that part of the game show "The Price Is Right" when you are made to choose one of two closed doors while having no idea what's behind them... but after making the choice, if you make the wrong choice and it turns out the other door was the better choice, you can't change your mind. The indecision of youth used to remind me so much of that game!

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The author of this article, Dr Oliver Tearle, is a literary critic and lecturer in English at Loughborough University. He is the author of, among others, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History and The Great War, The Waste Land and the Modernist Long Poem. The poem comprises seventeen lines of irregular length, with no rhyme scheme and frequent use of enjambment. There are also no divisions into stanzas; they would be irrelevant because the subject’s life has flowed in a continuum. a b c "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. 27 February 2018 . Retrieved 17 November 2022. I found this modern poem in one of the didactic handouts my classics and medieval literature professor gives us. I loved it because it's so true! This poem is soooo characteristic of the period in one's life when one is trying to choose amongst the suitors, and what happens when the person chooses the wrong suitor and is forced to get off the bus. The only end of writing is to enable the readers better to enjoy life or better to endure it.” – Samuel Johnson