J.L. Austin's speech act theory. In poetry, language is performative, creating emotions, commitments, or realities. A poem can enact its own meaning, making things happen through its address. This idea is central to political poetry, vows, and incantations. Poetry's performative power highlights its ability to do work in the world, shaping consciousness and influencing action through the force of utterance.

Performativity is the capacity of language to do things, to perform actions, rather than merely describe them. J.L. Austin's speech act theory distinguishes between constative utterances (which describe) and performative utterances (which perform, such as promising, naming, or marrying). In poetry, language is inherently performative; a poem does not just describe feelings but enacts them, creating a world and an experience for the reader. A political poem is performative in its attempt to move its audience to action, and a love poem is performative in its act of loving address. This concept highlights poetry's power as an active force in the world, showing that words can shape reality, create commitments, and influence consciousness.