Aesthetic Poetry

Walter Horatio PaterProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Aesthetic Poetry by Walter PaterAuthor: Pater, Walter, 1839-1894,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2003

Editor's review

This volume gathers Walter Pater's critical writings on aesthetic poetry. Pater was a major nineteenth-century British critic who held that art is an end in itself and urged readers to experience the form, rhythm, and emotional texture of poetry with keen sensibility. The book is less a systematic poetics than a demonstration of taste by a sensitive reader: he does not rush to judgment but describes in detail the impressions a poem makes, turning criticism itself into a kind of literature. For readers familiar with the English poetic tradition who wish to understand the vocabulary of aesthetic criticism, this small book offers a reading perspective different from moral and social criticism. It is suited to slow reading in quiet hours, with attention to the rhythm and wording of sentences rather than to plot or conclusion. Note that the original is in English and Pater's style is dense and subtle; beginners may need notes or repeated rereading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in British aesthetic literature and criticism
English learners who wish to learn close reading of poetry and appreciate verbal texture
Literature students who need to understand the脉络 of nineteenth-century British literary criticism
Readers who prefer essayistic, impressionistic criticism over systematic theory

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking poetry-writing techniques or a systematic poetics textbook
Beginners with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation
General readers expecting plot-driven narrative or light entertainment

Reading tips

Read through once to feel the overall tone, then go paragraph by paragraph the second time, marking unfamiliar words and allusions.
After each section, write two or three sentences on your own impressions and compare them with Pater's judgments.
Read alongside the original poems by the poets mentioned in the book; reading poem and commentary together works best.
Do not force yourself to finish in one sitting; take a small section at a time and leave intervals for digestion and reflection.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book Pater's own poetry collection?

No. It is Pater's critical and essayistic writing on poetry. He discusses the aesthetic qualities of poetry and the experience of reading it rather than collecting his own poems. Readers should approach it as a collection of criticism, not an anthology.

How difficult is the English, and what background is needed?

The original is nineteenth-century English with long sentences and careful diction, a relatively difficult style of literary criticism. Good English reading ability and a willingness to look up words and allusions are recommended. If your English is limited, start with Chinese introductions to aestheticism, then try the original.

Do I need to know British poetry history first?

It helps but is not essential. Some background knowledge of the poets and works mentioned is needed for full understanding, and readers can look up materials as they go. Even without it, you can read the book as a sample of critical style and see how Pater describes reading impressions.

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About the author

Walter Horatio Pater Author · English · 1839–1894

Walter Pater (1839–1894) was an English essayist and literary critic, and the theoretical representative of the Aesthetic movement. Born in London, he taught for many years at Brasenose College, Oxford. His Studies in the History of the Renaissance, published in 1873, set out the doctrine of art for art's sake, stressing the transience of aesthetic experience and the intensity of individual sensation. He also wrote the philosophical novel Marius the Epicurean and Imaginary Portraits, as well as Appreciations and Plato and Platonism. His refined, suggestive and musical prose exerted a profound influence on Oscar Wilde and later writers. The collection holds 14 of his works.