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Quote by Robert Graves

“Philosophy is antipoetic. Philosophize about mankind and you brush aside individual uniqueness, which a poet cannot do without self-damage. Unless, for a start, he has a strong personal rhythm to vary his metrics, he is nothing. Poets mistrust philosophy. They know that once the heads are counted, each owner of a head loses his personal identify and becomes a number in some government scheme: if not as a slave or serf, at least as a party to the device of majority voting, which smothers personal views.”

Quote by Robert Graves

Work

Some speculations on literature, history, and religion

In 'Some speculations on literature, history, and religion,' the author provides a comprehensive analysis of the complex relationships between these three domains. The book examines how literature has been influenced by historical events and religious beliefs, and how religion has shaped the development of literary works across different eras. It includes discussions on classic texts and historical contexts, offering readers a nuanced understanding of the role of religion in the evolution of literature and history. more

Author

Robert Graves
Robert Graves

Robert Graves was a British poet, novelist, and translator, born on July 24, 1895, and died on December 7, 1985. His poetry is diverse and spans various literary movements from classicism to modernism. Known for his profound insights into history and mythology, Graves's novels are also highly regarded. more

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“Abstract reason, formerly the servant of practical human reasons, has everywhere become its master, and denies poetry any excuse for existence. Though philosophers like to define poetry as irrational fancy, for us it is practical, humorous, reasonable way of being ourselves. Of never acquiescing in a fraud; of never accepting the secondary-rate in poetry, painting, music, love, friends. Of safeguarding our poetic institutions against the encroachments of mechanized, insensate, inhumane, abstract rationality.”