For centuries, memorisation was the vital mode through which the "uses of poetry" were realised. Mixed reactions to its reinstatement on the primary curriculum indicate how much has changed. But does memorisation afford a type of understanding not available through reading or critical analysis? This article draws on the initial findings…

Drawing on a strand of findings from the Cambridge Poetry Teaching Project, a small-scale research study co-ordinated through the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, this article examines contemporary understandings of poetry performance in teaching contexts. Positioning these understandings in relation to past practices, we…