Tag: practical criticism

poetry appreciation

an independent ambassador for conscience

Sep 16, 2021 #abandonment, #burke, #climate, #climate catastrophe, #compassion, #ellen hinsey, #empire, #environment, #evil, #function of poetry, #good, #hinsey, #Larkin, #moral, #Philip Larkin, #poetry, #practical criticism, #reader response, #responsibility, #war by Lucy Crispin

Here’s Ellen Hinsey on poetry: ‘Poetry is the conscience of a society… No individual poem can stop a war—that’s what diplomacy is supposed to do. But poetry is an independent ambassador for conscience: it answers to no one, it crosses borders without a passport, and it speaks the truth. That’s why… it is one of the most powerful of the arts”. Given what’s been going on in the world these last couple of weeks it feels like one of those too-apt-to-be-a-coincidence coincidences that I should meet Hinsey’s words in the same week as someone should bring to the 42 group Larkin’s ‘Homage to a Government’.

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poetry appreciation

bandaged moments

Jun 25, 2020 #despair, #Dickinson, #Emily Dickinson, #freedom, #hope, #horror, #imprisonment, #in this short life, #Pascal, #practical criticism, #religion, #soul, #The soul has bandaged moments by Lucy Crispin

I’m sure I’d read more Emily Dickinson if my Complete wasn’t roughly the size and shape of a large housebrick; tricky to read in the bath, y’know… Anyway, someone brought some ED to an online poetry share the other day, and it inspired me to strap on the wrist supports and spend some time with the housebrick. So many poems I could have brought, but today I choose number 360, which you can read here. (There’s an interesting article about Dickinson here at the Poetry Foundation, too.)

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