Ranking the Wishes
Ranking the Wishes by Carl Dennis, published by National Geographic Books in June 1997, is a first edition poetry collection comprising 96 pages. In this work, Dennis delves into the nature of wishes, examining both those we can fulfill and those that remain unattainable, and how they shape our identities. The poems present a nuanced perspective on wishing, contrasting it as either a failure to appreciate our current reality or as a vital acknowledgment of our unfulfilled desires.
Readers will find a diverse array of poetic forms within this collection, including elegy, meditation, and prophecy, each exploring the significance of wishes in our lives. Dennis articulates how these aspirations can provide direction and meaning, emphasizing their role in keeping our most significant desires alive. This exploration of themes related to inspiration and the human experience is rooted in the context of 20th-century American poetry, making it a reflective addition to the genre.
Official synopsis Publisher
In his seventh book, Carl Dennis explores the ways in which our wishes – those in our power to fulfill at any moment and those that have no chance of ever being realized – define who we are. While some of the poems view wishing as a failure to do justice to the world we have, others regard it as a recognition that no present, however rich, can satisfy the imagination, and suggest that one of the functions of poetry is to keep significant wishes alive. In showing with moving clarity how wishes are essential to giving shape and direction to the moment, these poems make use of a rich variety of genres: elegy, advice, meditation, warning, consolation, and prophecy.
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