Over the course of human history, there have been numerous writers and poets. Some of the earliest texts that we have today are often written in languages we don’t fully understand. On the other hand, today almost anyone can be a writer or poet, and with the power of the Internet, it has become much easier to find an audience. World literature is continuously being enriched by the new works published every year.
But with an audience, writers, and poets realize that they can get both praise and critique. Many people write reviews about the books and poetry they read. Many of these are readily available online for anyone to check before buying a book or poetry collection they are interested in. Reviews are by far the best way to understand whether you, as a customer, would want to spend your money on a specific piece of literature.
However, writing book reviews and poetry reviews is not the same. Book reviews are about exploring the prose, while poetry reviews are meant to explore poetry. They are fundamentally different, even though both types of reviews are written about works of literature. So how can you make the most of your review? Here are some things to keep in mind when writing a review for a book or poetry:
- Books can be divided into non-fiction and fiction. Poetry is either categorized as non-fiction or separately in its own category. Depending on whether you are writing a review about a non-fiction or fiction book, your review might pay attention to different kinds of details. For example, a non-fiction book about space needs to have correct facts and data from a scientific perspective while a sci-fi book where events happen in space doesn’t necessarily have to be scientifically accurate.
- Fiction and non-fiction books are generally longer than poetry books. Fiction and non-fiction books are usually longer simply because they have more text. However, poetry collections can be quite lengthy too. Moreover, some poems like Dante Alighieri’s immortal classic “The Divine Comedy” is notoriously longer than an average poem.
- There are different varieties of poems, just like there are different varieties of fiction and non-fiction books. There are poems that rhyme and those that don’t. There are haikus that are only a few lines long and epic poems that are as long as fiction books.
- Both books and poetry can be presented in their original language or can be translated. If it is the latter, then you should also note the quality of the translated text (how natural it sounds).
Keeping these differences in mind when writing your book or poetry review will help you make the most of your endeavor. Make sure that you understand the differences between books and poetry so that you cover different aspects of your chosen work of literature in the review you are writing.
In case you are writing a book or poetry review as a school assignment, take into account the details your instructor provided you with. Don’t try to summarize what happened in the book or poem. Instead, look for common themes or ideas, analyze characters and their actions, and come to your own conclusions about the work. In other words, be critical and analytical when writing your book or poetry review.
If you are a student writing an essay about poetry or book writing, then you might be interested in getting help with your paper. It can be quite difficult to finish it on your own, especially if it’s your first time writing one. You can hire a professional writer from the best essay writing service to assist you academically. With a real expert by your side, you won’t have to worry about making mistakes or forgetting something in your paper.
A good idea for someone writing an essay about poetry or book writing or even simply writing poetry and book reviews is to interview writers. This way, you can hear exactly what writers think about their work and their readers. It will give you additional insight into the way they plan and write their books. When interviewing poets, you can also ask them about their inspiration, how they find rhymes, and the kind of rhythm they like to give their poems.