On English poetry

On English poetry – is a work, which was published in 1922 and written by Robert Graves, a 20th century British literary critic, poet and novelist. Robert Graves wrote more than 140 works, two of which became bestsellers - the mythological treatise The White Goddess and the historical novel I, Claudius. There are two meanings of Poetry, as the poet himself came to use the word: first, Poetry, the unanticipated merging in his mind of apparently conflicting emotional ideas; and secondly, Poetry, the more or less deliberate attempt, by means of rhythmic mesmerism, to impose on the minds of others the illusion of real experience. Much of this book will seem controversial. These written book reflections are offered only as based on the rules governing the author's own work at the time, many of which the author did not claim universal application or promise long-term respect. They have been prompted from time to time, mainly because of specific problems encountered in the writing of my last two volumes of poetry. Not daring to formulate a comprehensive, impenetrable philosophy of poetry, the author abandoned continuous argumentation, and thus the sections either stand independently of each other, or are called upon to derive their strength from an inspiring neighborhood, and not from a logical connection. The book consists of sixty-one chapters, as well as an appendix.