Is mathematical poetry a form of poetry?
One author considers this mathematical statement by LeRoy Gorman entitled “The Birth of Tragedy” as a form of minimalist poetry:
(!+?)^2
Is this mathematical statement really a poem?
Creative writing highlights the value of human subjectivity. Mathematics, on the other hand, puts emphasis on rigor, logical validity, and precision. Wouldn't poetry be constricted by the rigid rules of mathematics if they were combined?
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Poetry doesn't have to be as free-flowing and messy as you're implying. Some poetry throws out rules of form and function, but some adheres to them strictly.
Think of the meter and rhyme demands of a sonnet, or the syllable rules of a haiku. If you don't follow those very rigid, precise requirements, you haven't written the poem correctly.
Honestly, I think that's a pretty funny poem that you've quoted. It takes a bit of work on the part of the reader to understand it, but the thoughts expressed reflect the title well. Why couldn't you use mathematics to express subjective thoughts?
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Possibly not being writer enough to answer this question, I consider myself mathematician enough to try to give an answer from the mathematical viewpoint. (If this is not a great answer by itself, I hope it is a useful addition to the others given.)
What you say about mathematics, of rigor, validity, precision and rigid rules, holds true, to a certain extent. The elementary mathematics is boring to sit through at school and often not even relevant to anything encountered in real life, while the more advanced mathematics scares people with its unusual notations and complexity. But if you learn to read it (like advanced literature and poetry), it can be beautiful. A well-written proof can read like a story, with characters making appearances, a surprising plot and a satisfying conclusion. Some proofs can even be considered poetry for their elegance (there's a book written about the most elegant proofs, "Proofs from THE BOOK", see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proofs_from_THE_BOOK ). Admittedly, some proofs can be like abstract paintings for the uninitiated - unless you've read the title and had someone explain both the painting and the title to you (twice), you've got no idea what it's trying to tell you - but they are merely an annoying anomaly to an otherwise beautiful and terribly underrated science.
Also, the 'rigid rules' thing works only one way; a mathematical expression has just one well-defined value, but there are often dozens and sometimes infinite other ways to express that same value. Most of these ways will not often be used, because they are unnecessarily complex or simply require more writing, but I don't think poetry is about the most straightforward way to tell the reader something. It is about the emotional content as well, and, if applied properly (as in your example), mathematics can do the trick.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/17382. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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