The Uses of Poetry - Hardcover

Thompson, Denys

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521218047 ISBN 13: 9780521218047

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1978

Synopsis

This is an account of the part played by poetry in the life of man from earliest times to the present. Older than prose, it was the vehicle for his technology, history, philosophy and science; it helped him feel at home in his environment; it was the social element between him and his fellows. Mr Thompson explores these many facets in the earlier chapters of his book, and then goes on to consider the impact of printing when in his view poetry became subtler but ceased to be a popular possession. However, as Mr Thompson shows, poetry could still be of value in helping people to cope with the strains of living, in assimilating the implications of vast new fields of knowledge, and in keeping alive the idea of humanity in a dehumanising age.

About this title

Book Description

This is an account of the part played by poetry in the life of man from earliest times to the present. Older than prose, as Mr Thompson explores, it was the vehicle for man's technology, history, philosophy and science; it helped him feel at home in his environment; it was the social element between him and his fellows.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1978
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521218047
• ISBN 13: 9780521218047
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 246