5 Questions
What is the end of Poetry according to the text?
To produce excitement with an overbalance of pleasure
What is the danger if the images and feelings in poetry have an undue proportion of pain connected with them?
The excitement may be carried beyond its proper bounds
Why might words metrically arranged continue to impart pleasure to mankind?
When the style is manly and the subject is of some importance
What does the text suggest about the copresence of something regular in poetry?
It has great efficacy in tempering and restraining the passion
What does the text suggest about nakedness and simplicity in poems?
They may not be a defect
Study Notes
The End of Poetry
- The end of poetry is to produce a pleasure that will impress its own image on the mind and remain with the reader.
Images and Feelings in Poetry
- If images and feelings in poetry have an undue proportion of pain connected with them, the danger is that the reader may be left with painful associations that cannot be removed.
Pleasure of Metrically Arranged Words
- Words metrically arranged may continue to impart pleasure to mankind because the pleasure they produce is not necessarily connected with the passion or image they convey, but with the musical qualities of the words themselves.
Regularity in Poetry
- The text suggests that something regular in poetry, such as meter or rhyme, is essential for the production of pleasure, as it gives unity and harmony to the composition.
Nakedness and Simplicity in Poems
- The text implies that nakedness and simplicity in poems are not essential, as the use of ornament and artifice can add to the pleasure of the reader, as long as it is not excessive.
Test your knowledge of English literature with this quiz on romantic poetry. Explore the themes, styles, and influential poets of the romantic era, from Wordsworth to Shelley.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
