Poetry and Dialogism ― Hearing over

Although common conceptions of poetry assume a voice that is solitary, personal, or authoritative - a monologue that readers can only overhear and accede to - this volume presupposes that poetry may be dialogic. The essays posit various foundations, gradations, and practices of poetic dialogism; theorize a diverse scope and purpose of dialogic poetry, from secluded prayer to political activism; and examine subgenres of poetry as well as discourses from the Bible to Amos 'n' Andy. In doing so, they contribute to the field of ethics and literature as well, insisting that poetry may be even profoundly oriented toward an Other, whether that dialogism is traceable in speech acts; in differentiated consciousnesses, ideologies, discourses, languages, or allusions; in the rhythm, intonation, or formal devices that encode such exchange; or in the production or reception of the poem. What does dialogic poetry look like - or is it the poetry we've known all along?

Mara Scanlon, Professor of English at the University of Mary Washington, USA, specializes in poetry and poetics, women's literature, ethics and literature, modernism, and digital humanities. Related publications include studies of the dialogic lyric, focusing on African American poet Robert Hayden, and a Bakhtinian reading of Derek Walcott's heteroglossic epic, Omeros.

Chad Engbers, Associate Professor of English at Calvin College, USA, teaches Renaissance and Russian literature. His scholarship focuses on penitential poetry from early modern England, drawing from the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin, Carl Jung, and early modern alchemy. His current project is an alchemical reading of John Donne's Holy Sonnets.