Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Poetry & poets
|
Buy Now
Leigh Hunt and What is Poetry? - Romanticism and the Purpose of Poetry (Paperback, New)
Loot Price: R727
Discovery Miles 7 270
|
|
Leigh Hunt and What is Poetry? - Romanticism and the Purpose of Poetry (Paperback, New)
Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days
|
To most literary historians, the name of Leigh Hunt does not rank
very high: he is mostly known as an idiosyncratic and mediocre
poet, a versatile but slightly superficial critic, a man who taxed
his friends' patience to the utmost, and - probably most of all -
the man who exercised an evil influence on Keats. However, there is
much more to Hunt than has hitherto been written about him. He was
a voracious reader who had a well-developed literary taste, and was
a true democrat in that he wanted "the interested layman" to share
the enthusiasm which the reading and apprehension of poetry had
given him. Hence his essay What Is Poetry?, which, apart from
comments of a more theoretical kind, contains numerous examples
from several ages and languages of what in his opinion qualified as
fine poetry. ... His essay is inscribed in the line of theoretical
writing on poetry that inspired Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth
to write their well-known treatises. Hunt distinguishes himself
from those three in that his main emphasis is on the reader. What
Is Poetry? is gently didactic in that it hopes that the reader
would follow and benefit from his advice. Although not a text of
sustained theoretical discussion, What Is Poetry? is, in its own
idiosyncratic way, a valuable contribution to early 19th century
literary criticism. Flemming Olsen provides a long overdue analysis
and critique of the essay, which even today is widely read and
available, and of Hunt's place in the Romantic movement as it
sought to engage with the wider public. Hunt's achievement - apart
from his gift as a talent scout and his altruistic assistance to
budding geniuses - was that he strove to put his enormous, if
erratic, learning at the disposal of ordinary people. This book is
essential reading for all those engaged with poetry.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
You might also like..
Afstande
Lucas Malan
Hardcover
R20
Discovery Miles 200
Landelik
Martjie Bosman
Paperback
R20
Discovery Miles 200
See more
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.