Poetry in the 1990s

Post–World War II poetry in the United States could be categorized into definite schools, and discussions centered on traditional forms versus free verse, or academic study versus experimentation. In the 1980s, there were still definite boundaries between competing styles, but change occurred in the 1990s when reality in poetry became totally relative to the imagination of the poet. This change is referred to as the postmodern movement, and it held to no rules as it mixed varying viewpoints with psychology and experimentation with language. American poetry showed the influence of overseas and in film techniques (such as the split screen and shifting angles) and fostered diversity among women and various ethnic groups, thus joining in the burgeoning global literature movement. The result was a public interest in poetry that in the early 2000s continued to be at an all-time high. Colleges increased...