A Defence of Poetry - Part V
But I digress. The connection of scenic exhibitions with the improvement or corruption of the manners of men has been universally recognized; in other words, the presence or absence of poetry in its most perfect and universal form has been found to be connected with good and evil in conduct or habit. The corruption which has been imputed to the drama as an effect, begins, when the poetry employed in its constitution ends: I appeal to the history of manners whether the periods
The Flowers of Evil
It is hard to explain how alchemy, the philosopher’s stone, and the spiritual aspects of our human characteristics reflect themselves through Art. Music is primarily the essence of that, which we may symbolize and name it as “Beauty,” or “Truth” per se. However, it is because of Literature that we begin to understand it. It is because of Literature that we globally understand symbols of communication (that we call “words”) to perceive it, and share it. And it is through those
