The Place of Poetry: Two Centuries of an Art in Crisis

156 Pages·2014·11.42 MB·English

by  Christopher Clausen

THE PLACE OF
POETRY
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THE PLACE OF
POETRY
Two Centuries ofa n Art in Crisis
CHRISTOPHER CLAUSEN
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Clausen, Christopher, 1942-
The place of poetry.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. American poetry-History and criticism.
2. English poetry-19th century-History and criti
cism. 3. English poetry-20th century-History
and criticism. 4. Literature and society-United
States. 5. Literature and society-Great Britain.
I. Title.
PS303.C57 821' .009 80-5172
ISBN 978-0-8131-5170-0 AACR2
Copyright© 1981 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky,
Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Club,
Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society,
Kentucky State University, Morehead State University,
Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University,
Transylvania University, University of Kentucky,
University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
Editorial and Sales Offices: Lexington, Kentucky 40506
For Nancy
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
ONE: Rhyme or Reason 1
Two: Poetry as Revelation 28
THREE: The Land of Lost Content 48
FOUR: The Palgrave Version 65
FIVE: New Bottles 83
SIX: Grecian Thoughts in the Horne Fields 97
SEVEN: The Place of Poetry 118
Notes 135
Index 143
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Earlier versions of chapters two, four, and six have appeared in the
Georgia Review. An earlier version of chapter three appeared in the
Sewanee Review under the title "Tintern Abbey to Little Gidding: The
Past Recaptured." Some of the material in chapters five and seven ap
peared in the Virginia Quarterly Review under the.title "The Decline of
Anglo-American Poetry."
I am grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for a
summer stipend that enabled me to complete this book. I must also
thank Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for travel
funds that made my research easier, and for secretarial help.
My acknowledgment of debts gratefully incurred would not be
complete without mention of Michael L. Campbell, George Core,
Russell B. Gill, Stanley W. Lindberg, Wyatt Prunty, James Scoggins,
Alison G. Sulloway, and John Taggart, who have helped me to make
some chapters better than they would otherwise be, and Wayne C.
Booth, whose many kinds of assistance go back many years. My great
est obligation is recognized in the dedication.