The Future of English Poetry E-Book

Edmund Gosse

• Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

In "The Future of English Poetry," Edmund Gosse explores the dynamic evolution of poetic form and subject in the late 19th century. Characterized by its engaging prose and analytical depth, the book reflects the tensions between traditional Victorian poetry and the burgeoning modernist movements. Gosse articulates the challenges faced by poets as they navigate individuality, experimentation, and societal expectations, all while preserving the rich linguistic heritage of English verse. This literary critique is not merely a prediction of poetic trends but a profound reflection on the cultural zeitgeist of his time, celebrating both innovation and continuity. Edmund Gosse, a prominent critic, poet, and biographer, was deeply immersed in the literary currents of his day. Growing up in an intellectually stimulating environment'Äîhis father was a well-known naturalist and his mother a literary figure'ÄîGosse cultivated a unique perspective on art and literature. His experiences and relationships with luminaries such as Tennyson and Swinburne undoubtedly influenced his insights on poetry's trajectory, making his observations resonate with both clarity and authority. For readers keen on understanding the intricacies of English poetry's evolution, Gosse's work is indispensable. "The Future of English Poetry" offers both historical context and literary analysis, serving as a vital resource for scholars and poetry enthusiasts alike. It invites readers to consider how the past informs the future of poetic expression in an ever-changing cultural landscape.

Leseprobe

Edmund Gosse

The Future of English Poetry

Published by Good Press, 2022

[email protected]

EAN 4064066144128

Table of Contents

THE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION

The Future of English Poetry

Edmund Gosse, C.B.

THE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION

The Future of English Poetry

Edmund Gosse, C.B.

THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH POETRY

THE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION

Table of Contents

Pamphlet No. 25

The Future of English Poetry

Table of Contents

By

Edmund Gosse, C.B.

Table of Contents

June, 1913

A copy of this pamphlet is supplied to all full members of the Association. They can obtain further copies (price 1s.) on application to the Secretary, Mr. A. V. Houghton, Imperial College Union, South Kensington, London, S.W.

THE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION

Table of Contents

Pamphlet No. 25

The Future of English Poetry

Table of Contents

By

Edmund Gosse, C.B.

Table of Contents

June, 1913

THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH POETRY

Table of Contents

J’ai vu le cheval rose ouvrir ses ailes d’or, Et, flairant le laurier que je tenais encor, Verdoyant à jamais, hier comme aujourd’hui, Se cabrer vers le Jour et ruer vers la Nuit.

Henri de Régnier.

In venturing this afternoon to address an audience accustomed to listen to those whose positive authority is universally recognized, and in taking for my theme a subject not, like theirs, distinct in its definitions or consecrated by tradition and history, I am aware that I perform what you may, if you choose, call an act of blameworthy audacity. My subject is chimerical, vague, and founded on conjectures which you may well believe yourselves at least as well fitted as I am to propound. Nevertheless, and in no rash or paradoxical spirit, I invite you to join with me in some reflections on what is the probable course of English poetry during, let us say, the next hundred years. If I happen to be right, I hope some of the youngest persons present will say, when I am long turned to dust, what an illuminating prophet I was. If I happen to be wrong, why, no one will remember anything at all about the matter. In any case we may possibly be rewarded this afternoon by some agreeable hopes and by the contemplation of some pleasant analogies.

Our title takes for granted that English poetry[1] will continue, with whatever fluctuations, to be a living and abiding thing. This I must suppose that you all accede to, and that you do not look upon poetry as an art which is finished, or the harvest of classic verse as one which is fully reaped and garnered. That has been believed at one time and another, in various parts of the globe. I will mention one instance in the history of our own time: a quarter of a century ago, the practice of writing verse was deliberately abandoned in the literatures of the three Scandinavian countries, but particularly in that of Norway, where no poetry, in our sense, was written from about 1873 to 1885. It almost died out here in England in the middle of the fifteenth century; it ran very low in France at the end of the Middle Ages. But all these instances, whether ancient or modern, of the attempt to prove prose a sufficing medium for all expression of human thought have hitherto failed, and it is now almost certain that they will more and more languidly be revived, and with less and less conviction.

It was at one of the deadliest moments in the life of the art in England that George Gascoigne remarked, in his ‘Epistle to the Reverend Divines’ (1574) that ‘It seemeth unto me that in all ages Poetry hath been not only permitted, but also it hath been thought a right good thing’. Poetry has occupied the purest and the fieriest minds in all ages, and you will remember that Plato, who excluded the poets from his philosophical Utopia, was nevertheless an exquisite writer of lyrical verse himself. So, to come down to our own day, Ibsen, who drove poetry out of the living language of his country, had been one of the most skilful of prosodical proficients. Such instances may allay our alarm. There cannot be any lasting force in arguments which remind us of the pious confessions of a redeemed burglar. It needs more than the zeal of a turncoat to drive Apollo out of Parnassus.