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Authors:

Lascelles Abercrombie quotes

British Poet January 9, 1881 – October 27, 1938

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Quotes

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
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
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
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
For the stage displays the first vigorous expression, as the natural thing and without conspicuous restraint, of private individuality. Lascelles Abercrombie
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lascelles Abercrombie quote: "If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall..."
If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it. Lascelles Abercrombie

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