Oxford Lectures on Poetry

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bradley, A. C. (Andrew Cecil), 1851-1935.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Oxford Lectures on Poetry" by A. C. Bradley is a scholarly work composed of a series of lectures that explore the nature and essence of poetry, written in the early 20th century. The lectures primarily focus on the concept of "Poetry for Poetry's Sake," discussing how poetry functions independently of its instructional or moral values. The author, a former Professor of Poetry at Oxford, delves into the intricacies of poetic experience and offers insights into how poetry conveys meaning, particularly through the interplay of form and substance. The opening of the text introduces Bradley's ideas regarding the definition of poetry and its intrinsic value. He reflects on his role as a lecturer, briefly considering his predecessors while emphasizing the importance of understanding poetry in its essence beyond conventional expectations. He articulates that poetic value is not determined by the ulterior effects or moral lessons of poetry but lies in the imaginative experience that poetry offers. This sets the stage for his deeper analysis of the nature of poetry, inviting readers to rethink the way they engage with poetic works and highlighting the transformative power of the poetic experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Poetry for poetry's sake

The sublime

Hegel's theory of tragedy

Wordsworth

Shelley's view of poetry

The long poem in the age of Wordsworth

The letters of Keats

The rejection of Falstaff

Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra'

Shakespeare the man

Shakespeare's theatre and audience.

Credits:

Produced by Marius Masi, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 61.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2011-07-17