poeticrather

Poeticrather is a term used in contemporary literary criticism to describe a stylistic stance in poetry and, less commonly, prose, that foregrounds the musical, imagistic, and formal features of language over direct argument, narrative clarity, or pragmatic exposition. The term signals a preference for poetry to function primarily as a crafted art object rather than as a vehicle for explicit communication.

Origin and usage: The coinage appears in online criticism and scholarly essays in the 2020s. Its exact origin is uncertain; critics typically interpret it as a blend of “poetic” and “rather,” indicating a chosen emphasis on lyric craft. It is used to describe trends in a poet’s work or in broader movements within contemporary poetry.

Characteristics: Poeticrather tends to emphasize sound devices such as alliteration, consonance, and assonance, along with dense metaphor and open-ended imagery. Lineation often favors enjambment and compact diction that yields interpretive ambiguity. Narrative progression, if present, is frequently secondary to mood, sensation, or formal experimentation. The approach can apply to an individual poem or to an author’s broader body of work.

Context and reception: Proponents argue that the term helps classify a meaningful shift toward heightened lyric craft and sonic texture in modern poetry. Critics contend it can obscure political or ethical stakes and may alienate readers seeking explicit argument or narrative clarity. Some scholars view poeticrather as part of a spectrum that includes imagism, lyric realism, and metapoetic practices.

See also: Imagism, Lyric poetry, Metapoetry, Sound poetry.