What is poetry?

How can I learn to read and enjoy old poetry? What "training" do I need? Are there any recommended books or techniques? Is this a ridiculous inquiry?

• One cannot be "taught" to enjoy something. However, I think it is impossible to pass judgement on whether you enjoy something or not if you simply cannot comprehend it. In my English class at school, I struggle with reading old poetry - by this I am specifically referring to English poetry from Chaucer's time right up to the 19th century. The works of English literary greats such as Shakespeare,Marlowe and Donne have garnered a reputation for being "difficult to understand" and I think this is what turns people off poetry. Poetry, in the 21st century, is seen as old fashioned and tedious. No one of my generation (I was born in the late 90s) reads poetry which makes me sad because I know there is a whole new way of seeing things that is currently inaccessible to many students who lack the training or knowledge to read this poetry properly. A lot of my peers misperceive the message of these poems - in other words - the older form of the English language is just too archaic for comprehension by the average student of the 21st century which makes reading poetry an even more disheartening experience which perpetuates the negative perception of poetry as something drab and dull. Teachers expect the class to discuss and conjecture the various messages and ambiguities of the poetry but how can we possibly do this if we lack fundamental comprehension that is absolutely crucial to support more advanced analysis and deeper discussions. In the end, teachers function as mere "translators" - students depend on teachers to explain to them the basic gist of the poem. Now this is helpful, but it is inimical to the overall goal of being able to comprehend and  (on your own) read old poetry. Now, the teachers can perfectly understand this poetry. They must have, at some stage in their lives, been unable to read and appreciate fully the works of great writers such as Shakespeare through not having the facility to do so. I therefore pose the following questions: How can I learn to read old poetry? What "training" do I need? Are there any recommended books or techniques? Is this a ridiculous inquiry? Miscomprehension of older poetry is most certainly a "language barrier". Language evolves constantly but palpable differences begin to emerge in terms of phraseology, thematic priorities and the meaning of words that you can observe from contrasting a 16th century poem  to one published in the 21st century. So I am asking how can I learn to understand the older form of the English language that will enable me to better understand older poetry. This is a horribly vague and broad question but I would welcome any advice from anyone who has any knowledge to share on this perplexing matter. Thanking you in anticipation !:)

• Answer:

  First, keep in mind that that writers of that time wrote to a highly educated audience, and most twenty-first century students aren't educated enough.  It's not your fault. Practically speaking now, reading is a matter of vocabulary and grammar.  It's easier to improve the former, so as you're reading, look up the definition of words you don't know.  If you can find a way to better comprehend complex sentence structure, even better. Lastly, you'll benefit from reading things twice (or more): once to get the lay of the land and a second time to truly comprehend. Best of luck!