This project consists of two parts: (1) a discussion of the genre of shaped poetry; and (2) a small portfolio of my shaped poems. Shaped poetry involves the fusing of poetry with a visual element so that it appeals to the eye as well as the ear. I discuss the priority of fixed forms in Western poetry, and how the emergence of free verse laid the groundwork for a new focus upon the appearance of the poem on the page. The theories of “projective verse” put forth by the followers of the Black Mountain School placed further emphasis upon the layout of the poem on the page. Although often viewed as little more than a gimmick, elements of shaping are more commonly found in free verse than is generally realized, and postmodern practitioners such as John Hollander and May Swenson have demonstrated that shaped poetry deserves to be viewed as a serious poetic form. I conclude Part 1 by reviewing some postmodern shaped poetry. Part 2 contains a portfolio of my shaped poems, with notes.
","abstract_html":"<p>This project consists of two parts: (1) a discussion of the genre of shaped poetry; and (2) a small portfolio of my shaped poems. Shaped poetry involves the fusing of poetry with a visual element so that it appeals to the eye as well as the ear. I discuss the priority of fixed forms in Western poetry, and how the emergence of free verse laid the groundwork for a new focus upon the appearance of the poem on the page. The theories of “projective verse” put forth by the followers of the Black Mountain School placed further emphasis upon the layout of the poem on the page. Although often viewed as little more than a gimmick, elements of shaping are more commonly found in free verse than is generally realized, and postmodern practitioners such as John Hollander and May Swenson have demonstrated that shaped poetry deserves to be viewed as a serious poetic form. I conclude Part 1 by reviewing some postmodern shaped poetry. Part 2 contains a portfolio of my shaped poems, with notes.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Galiani, Stephen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joan Baranow, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:59Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/267","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joan Baranow, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Galiani, Stephen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/267"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project consists of two parts: (1) a discussion of the genre of shaped poetry; and (2) a small portfolio of my shaped poems. Shaped poetry involves the fusing of poetry with a visual element so that it appeals to the eye as well as the ear. I discuss the priority of fixed forms in Western poetry, and how the emergence of free verse laid the groundwork for a new focus upon the appearance of the poem on the page. The theories of “projective verse” put forth by the followers of the Black Mountain School placed further emphasis upon the layout of the poem on the page. Although often viewed as little more than a gimmick, elements of shaping are more commonly found in free verse than is generally realized, and postmodern practitioners such as John Hollander and May Swenson have demonstrated that shaped poetry deserves to be viewed as a serious poetic form. I conclude Part 1 by reviewing some postmodern shaped poetry. Part 2 contains a portfolio of my shaped poems, with notes.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Words as Art: A New Perspective on Shaped Poetry"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Joan Baranow, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Galiani, Stephen"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project consists of two parts: (1) a discussion of the genre of shaped poetry; and (2) a small portfolio of my shaped poems. Shaped poetry involves the fusing of poetry with a visual element so that it appeals to the eye as well as the ear. I discuss the priority of fixed forms in Western poetry, and how the emergence of free verse laid the groundwork for a new focus upon the appearance of the poem on the page. The theories of “projective verse” put forth by the followers of the Black Mountain School placed further emphasis upon the layout of the poem on the page. Although often viewed as little more than a gimmick, elements of shaping are more commonly found in free verse than is generally realized, and postmodern practitioners such as John Hollander and May Swenson have demonstrated that shaped poetry deserves to be viewed as a serious poetic form. I conclude Part 1 by reviewing some postmodern shaped poetry. Part 2 contains a portfolio of my shaped poems, with notes.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/267"],"dc:subject":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["Words as Art: A New Perspective on Shaped Poetry"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:59Z"}