The Poetics of Reverie

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Summary: spindle spun
Review: Bachelard's book on reverie wonderfully explores the space that looms somewhere in between wakefulness and dream. Reverie is a form of consciousness that departs from the words of poets and then grows. Each section of this essay refines or sketches further some of the liminal suggestions of the author. Some of these excursions resonate more sensibly than others of course, but all of the chapters thoughtfully meditate on a placid and exciting state. I do not think the second section on the significance of word gender is terribly fruitful, since gender is a grammatical rather than semantic property, but even such meanderings around and slight abuses of traditional understandings leads to some joyful venues and phenomenal considerations. A book need not be useful to be pleasant. This book has a mite of the former quality and a might of the latter quality.

Rating:
Summary: Get a tutorial too
Review: Bachelard's Poetics of Reverie is a fascinating, fascinating book, but those with no previous training in phenomenology might want to do some intro reading first. A must-read for anyone who's ever tried their hand at creative writing, especially poetry, and a must-read for anyone whose mind has ever been stuck in a state of reverie concerning the world around them.