A conversation with “Notes on the New Formalism” by Dana Gioia.

Art by Elliot Skow

Mostly Aesthetics: Thank you, Mr Gioia Essay, for agreeing to this interview. I’m a little flushed, as you can see—I’m a big fan of the New Formalism, and I’m intimidated, you’re such an influential essay. To start, I’ll clear the air: I will honor our agreement, you are here to discuss yourself, not a certain highly-regarded poet and critic, or your relation to him.

Gioia Essay: …

MA: Okay, let’s jump right in then. All that free verse that gets written these days, it’s mostly crap, am I right? The turn to free verse was a big mistake, and the sooner the ship of English poetic practice turns back to the use of meter and rhyme, the sooner it will again be in sight of those long-abandoned heights once explored so fruitfully by Shakespeare and Milton.

GA:¹ Formal verse, like free verse, is neither bad nor good. The terms are strictly descriptive, not evaluative. They define distinct sets of techniques rather than rank the quality or nature of poetic performance.

MA: Uh,...Okay! Well then, for the benefit of our readers, some of whom are new to this topic, can you describe the difference between the techniques? Besides the obvious fact that metric poetry is in a meter, and free verse is not.

GE: Meter is...a pre-literate technology, a way of making language memorable before