“that [rational] principle alone cannot add one iota to knowledge. It can clear up obscurities, it can measure and enumerate with greater and ever greater precision, it can preserve us in the dignity and responsibility of our individual existences. But in no sense can it be said ... to expand consciousness. Only the poetic can do this: only poesy, pouring into language its creative intuitions, can preserve its living meaning and prevent it from crystalizing into a kind of algebra. (144)”
Quote by Owen Barfield
Work
Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning
This book delves into the intricate details of poetic language, analyzing how the arrangement and choice of words contribute to the overall message and emotional effect of poetry. more
Author
Owen Barfield
Owen Barfield was a British philosopher, poet, and literary critic, recognized for his contributions to the philosophy of language and the theory of myth. A prominent member of the Inklings, a group of writers and scholars associated with Oxford University, Barfield's ideas often centered on the nature of language, imagination, and the significance of myth in human culture. more
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