Lascelles Abercrombie Quotes

Powerful Lascelles Abercrombie for Daily Growth

About Lascelles Abercrombie

Lascelles Abercrombie (1881-1938), an influential figure in early 20th-century English literature, was born on October 17, 1881, in the small town of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. His passion for poetry emerged early, nurtured by his family's encouragement and a rich literary environment. Abercrombie attended Harrow School, where he was greatly influenced by the poems of John Keats and Algernon Charles Swinburne. Afterward, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he contributed to the school magazine and met prominent literary figures like Robert Bridges and Arthur Waugh. Upon graduating, Abercrombie began his teaching career in 1904 at Marlborough College. He later moved to King Edward's School, Birmingham, where he remained until 1927. During this time, he published several volumes of poetry, including "The Orchard" (1911), "The Winding Stair" (1916), and "Selected Poems" (1927). Abercrombie's poetry is characterized by its intense emotion, strong rhythm, and use of vivid imagery. He was a member of the Georgian Poets group, which also included Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Frost, among others. However, unlike many of his contemporaries, Abercrombie rejected the pastoral idealism that characterized much of Georgian poetry. In 1927, Abercrombie took up a post at the University of Leeds, where he remained until his death in 1938. During this period, he published "Poems and Translations" (1930), which included translations of Ovid's "Metamorphoses," and "Collected Poems" (1932). Abercrombie's influence on English literature is significant, particularly in the development of modernist poetry. His work continues to be studied and appreciated for its unique voice and powerful expression of human emotions.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Poetry is a kind of inspired madness."

This quote suggests that poetry, in essence, is an expression of creativity borne from a heightened or unusual state of mind. It implies that poets tap into a higher form of inspiration, often characterized as madness, which allows them to craft profound and unique pieces of art. The "madness" refers to the intensity and unconventionality of their thought process, pushing boundaries and exploring new realms of emotion and understanding.

"Art is not a thing apart, but the soul of things as they are."

The quote suggests that art is not separate from reality or life, but rather it embodies the essence, spirit, or soul of existence itself. In this perspective, art serves to illuminate and express the fundamental nature of the world around us. It's a creative interpretation and reflection of our experiences, emotions, and observations, capturing the underlying truths and beauty that we often overlook in everyday life.

"A poet's job is to see the world a little differently than other people."

This quote by Lascelles Abercrombie suggests that a poet's role is to perceive and interpret the world around them in a unique, unconventional, or imaginative manner. Rather than simply observing and recounting events as they occur, poets are tasked with finding fresh perspectives and expressing these observations in a way that transcends ordinary understanding, enabling their audience to see the world differently as well. This capacity for original thought and creative expression sets poets apart from others and makes them valuable in enriching our collective understanding of life.

"The true poet is both the child and the father of his thought."

This quote suggests that a poet is both the originator (the child) and the mature reflector (the father) of their thoughts. The poet generates ideas in a fresh, innocent, and uninhibited manner (as a child), while also having the wisdom and experience to shape and mold those ideas into meaningful expressions (as a father). Essentially, the poet is both the creator and the craftsman of their own artistic vision.

"Poetry should be a revelation, not an argument."

This quote by Lascelles Abercrombie emphasizes that poetry's primary purpose is to unveil truths or insights, rather than to present arguments or persuade. In other words, poetry should evoke emotions, spark imagination, and reveal the beauty and complexity of life, not merely to convey facts or ideas logically. It suggests a more poetic approach, focusing on the impact of language, imagery, and rhythm, as opposed to a didactic or debating style.

No poet will ever take the written word as a substitute for the spoken word; he knows that it is on the spoken word, and the spoken word only, that his art is founded.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Art, Will, Written Word, Founded

Epic poetry exhibits life in some great symbolic attitude. It cannot strictly be said to symbolize life itself, but always some manner of life.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Some, Always, Symbolic, Epic

There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man's general destiny.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Experience, Destiny, Some, Epic

The epic poet has behind him a tradition of matter and a tradition of style; and that is what every other poet has behind him too; only, for the epic poet, tradition is rather narrower, rather more strictly compelling.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Behind, Other, Rather, Narrower

But the development of human society does not go straight forward; and the epic process will therefore be a recurring process, the series a recurring series - though not in exact repetition.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Process, Development, Though, Human Society

That is to say, epic poetry has been invented many times and independently; but, as the needs which prompted the invention have been broadly similar, so the invention itself has been.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Needs, Similar, Which, Prompted

The first epics were intended for recitation; the literary epic is meant to be read.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Meant, Read, Were, Meant To Be

Poetry is the work of poets, not of peoples or communities; artistic creation can never be anything but the production of an individual mind.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Mind, Never, Individual, Communities

Traditional matter must be glorified, since it would be easier to listen to the re-creation of familiar stories than to quite new and unexpected things; the listeners, we must remember, needed poetry chiefly as the re-creation of tired hours.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

New, Hours, Stories, Glorified

An epic is not made by piecing together a set of heroic lays, adjusting their discrepancies and making them into a continuous narrative.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Making, Made, Set, Lays

For the stage displays the first vigorous expression, as the natural thing and without conspicuous restraint, of private individuality.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Natural, Expression, Private, Vigorous

The world knows of a vast stock of epic material scattered up and down the nations; sometimes its artistic value is as extraordinary as its archaeological interest, but not always.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Sometimes, Always, Artistic, Up And Down

The balance of private good and general welfare is at the bottom of civilized morals; but the morals of the Heroic Age are founded on individuality, and on nothing else.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Private, Bottom, Civilized, Individuality

It seems difficult, sometimes, to believe that there was a time when sentiments now become habitual, sentiments that imply not only the original imperative of conduct, but the original metaphysic of living, were by no means altogether habitual.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Means, Habitual, Imply, Imperative

It is more difficult to keep the attention of hearers than of readers.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

More, Keep, Than, Readers

The epic poet collaborates with the spirit of his time in the composition of his work. That is, if he is successful; the time may refuse to work with him, but he may not refuse to work with his time.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Work, Spirit, May, Composition

The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Border, Very, Which, Hood

With several different kinds of poetry to choose from, a man would decide that he would like best to be an epic poet, and he would set out, in conscious determination, on an epic poem.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Like, Different Kinds, Set, Conscious

If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Fall, Epic Poetry, Definite, Epic

By the general process of epic poetry, I mean the way this form of art has constantly responded to the profound needs of the society in which it was made.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Process, Needs, Which, Epic

But the gravest difficulty, and perhaps the most important, in poetry meant solely for recitation, is the difficulty of achieving verbal beauty, or rather of making verbal beauty tell.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

The Most Important, Meant, Solely

The reason can only be this: heroic poetry depends on an heroic age, and an age is heroic because of what it is, not because of what it does.

- Lascelles Abercrombie

Reason, Depends, Does, Heroic

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