“what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about” IfsPoetTasteInspiredAbsurdPrimitiveMist Book:We: New Edition Source: We: New Edition
“Look at this poet William Carlos Williams: he is primitive and native, and his roots are in raw forest and violent places; he is word-sick and place-crazy. He admires strength, but for what? Violence! This is the cult of the frontier mind.” MindLooksPoetryViolenceCrazyStrengthPoetRootsSickViolentForestsAdmireNativePrimitiveCultFrontiers Book:Alms for Oblivion Source: Alms for Oblivion
“Poetry is the most direct and simple means of expressing oneself in words: the most primitive nations have poetry, but only quitewell developed civilizations can produce good prose. So don't think of poetry as a perverse and unnatural way of distorting ordinary prose statements: prose is a much less natural way of speaking than poetry is. If you listen to small children, and to the amount of chanting and singsong in their speech, you'll see what I mean.” IfsThinkingWayMeanChildrenPoetryNationsNaturalSimpleProducePoetAmountCivilizationSpeechOrdinaryDirectOneselfStatementsProsePoetry IsPrimitiveUnnaturalSmall ChildChantingExpressing Oneself Author:Northrop Frye
“"Work" does not exist in a nonliterate world. The primitive hunter or fisherman did no work, any more than does the poet, painter, or thinker of today. Where the whole man is involved there is no work.” MenWorldDoeWholeTodayPoetInvolvedPainterThinkerPrimitiveHuntersFisherman Book:Understanding media: the extensions of man Source: Understanding media: the extensions of man