concrete poetry

American  

noun

1. poetry in which effects are created by the physical arrangement of words in patterns or forms rather than by the use of traditional language structure.

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concrete poetry British  

noun

1. poetry in which the visual form of the poem is used to convey meaning

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Etymology

Origin of concrete poetry

1955–60, probably as translation of Portuguese poesia concreta or German konkrete Dichtung

Example Sentences

In the 1970s, Melchert’s work began to move in a more conceptual direction, influenced by concrete poetry and the work of composer John Cage.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2023

Attempting to describe the range of topics of discussion within a single file using subject headings leads to complex chunks of text that read like concrete poetry.

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2017

In a way I’m making concrete poetry, but my field is 2½ to 3 inches — that’s all the space I got.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2017

But this is not just an exercise in concrete poetry, à la Mallarmé and Broodthaers; each painting addresses the reader-viewer with the sneer of a film-noir mobster.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2012

Before becoming what many readers have regarded as only the expression of the poetics of self-reference, the experience of concrete poetry attempted to make poetry visual, musical, or even tactile.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai