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“At the very least, it was extraordinary in offering up a very real bequest to later poets of a multi-layered hero figure, practical lessons in poetic direction and conviction, guidance in poetic technique, and, for some, a treasury of quotations, images and impressions. When aggregated, the seed capital of the poem is considerable. All this may be true but there remains a suspicion that this verdict would underplay the depth of the poem's heritability: perhaps a more accurate hypothesis is that The Minstrel had a pervasive spiritual and intellectual influence on other poets, even to the point of inspiration. Nothing like it had been written before and there are signs that it catalysed prospective poets as they grappled with their own poetical identities and sought to make a living from their talents.” — Ian Cameron Robertson