Metapoetry, poetry about poetry, the particular configuration of text that is created when a constant of structure \u2013 the verse that the poem builds on \u2013 meets a constant of content \u2013 the subject-matter of the poem \u2013 is a literary phenomenon as evident as it is, nonetheless, overlooked and little-researched in its unexpected and continuous recurrence throughout the history of poetry, becoming ever more apparent during the 20th Century and with the modernity of poetry. However, in the firm belief of its specific theoretical importance and hermeneutic value, this research thesis proposes to address certain questions regarding self-referentiality in poetry in order to observe how, in fact, metapoetry manifests itself, with what impact and with which characteristics, in which modes and in which context. But above all, this thesis will attempt to understand why poetry should want to write about itself
