The English Poetic Mind: An Essay‘The English Poetic Mind’ (1932) is Williams’ discussion of the source of the poetic impulse, creativity and drive behind three prominent English poets: Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth. The text is reflective of Williams’ imaginative and critical approach to literature and his appreciation of poetry and verse. Charles Williams (1886-1945) was a British theologian, playwright, novelist and poet. As a member of the ‘Inklings’ literary group at Oxford, his work supported a strong sense of narrative. For Williams, spiritual exchanges were an undercurrent to life, and his Christian fantasy writing, such as 'Descent into Hell' (1937), earned him many followers. This classic work is now being republished in a new modern edition with a specially commissioned introductory biography. |
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abyss action Antony Ariel aware Book Brutus capacity Cassius cause character Chorus Christ Cleopatra comedies Comus concerned conflict of sensations consciousness contradiction Coriolanus Cressida crisis death delight Desdemona discover Dream emotion experience express fact Falstaff feel figure Ghost glory Hamlet heaven Henry hiding-places of man’s honour human imagination immortal Imogen intellectual intense Julius Caesar Keats King knowledge L’Allegro Lear liberty and power lines Love’s Labour’s Lost Lycidas Macbeth man’s power Measure for Measure merely Milton Milton’s poetry moral nature never noble Omnipotence Othello Paradise Lost Paradise Regained passion perhaps philosophical phrase play poem poet poet’s poetic mind Pope’s Prelude Richard II romantic Romeo Samson Satan self-consciousness sense Shakespeare Shakespeare’s genius Shakespeare’s poetry Shelley solitary solitude song soul speak speech spirit style talk Tennyson thee thing inseparate thou thought Timon Troilus Twelfth Night unknown modes utterance verse words Wordsworth