Question

"Introduction to Poetry"by Billy CollinsI ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poemand watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's roomand feel the walls for a light switch.I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poemwaving at the author's name on the shore.But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.Source: Collins, Billy. "Introduction to Poetry." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. Which type of literary theory would examine the relationship between the poem and Billy Collins?mimeticexpressiverhetoricalformal

Answer 1

The correct answer is expressive.

According to M.H. Abrams, a famous American literary critics, all literary theories can be separated into four groups: mimetic, expressive, rhetorical, and formal.

Mimetic group deals with the relationship between the work itself, and the world surrounding it.

Expressive theories have to do with the connection between the work and the author, which is the case here, since we need to examine the relationship between the poem Introduction to Poetry and its author, Billy Collins.

Rhetorical theories deal with the relationship between the work and the audience reading it, listening to it, or watching it.

And finally, formal theories do the close reading of the work, taking everything into consideration.