The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism: Studies in the Relationship of Criticism to Poetry in England (Charles Eliot Norton Lectures for 1932-33)

Rating:
Summary: An Insightful Work On Poetry
Review: Most of us are afraid of poems because as we read it, we can't seem to make head or tails as to what we have read. Therefore, for those of us who have "poem-phobia," I recommend this delightful little work.

In this work, Eliot ask the question of what is poetry and the use of criticism in poetry as well as the relationship between the former and the latter.

Eliot proposes to start the enquiry by reviewing the history of criticism starting from Elizabethan era untill that of his time. Through the course of the exploration, I was enthralled by Eliot's insightful opinion of critics and their opinion as to what is poetry and its uses.

I was particularly drawn to the final chapter of his work which does not offer any final word to the questions which he posed but rather giving us advice as to how to read poems (in particular the modern poets, i.e., 20th century). I was very glad to have read this work because it sure beats reading a heavy college text on how to read poetry.