Introduction

In this chapter, the author identifies, defines, and illustrates the book’s key concepts, including concrete poetry, iconographic poetry, research poetry, poetic inquiry, and iconographic research poetry. Next, the author offers brief overviews of the history of concrete poetry, iconographic poetry, poetic inquiry, and research poetry, four central areas of inquiry that have inspired the notion of iconographic research poetry. The author explores the intellectual foundations that undergird the concept of iconographic research poetry by reviewing classic and contemporary texts from the humanities and social sciences. After enumerating the advantages of iconographic research poetry and positioning it as a methodological innovation that bridges art, literature, and science, the author concludes this chapter with a preview of the book.