In Defense of Reason

Rating:
Summary: Controversial, Masterful
Review: The great Arthur Yvor Winters, both as post and critic, was a very controversial figure in literary criticism during the first half of the 20th century. It is unconscionable that he is not better known, however. This book caused much of the storm that swirled about his tendentious and stunning assessments of many of the great writers. Agree or disagree with his brilliantly insightful evaluations of individual poets and writers, you will learn more about about literature -- and poetry in particular -- than you could have ever dreamed possible reading this book. When you finish with Yvor, poetry will suddenly matter almost as much as breathing in your life. This man knew his stuff (he's sadly been gone since 1968, having died of tongue cancer), better than anyone I have ever read. Yvor was a formalist, it's important to make clear, and he defended formal poetry and metrical verse with greater clarity and power than any writer in history. But he had brilliantly insightful ideas on free verse (he started his fascinating career as a free verse poet in the 20s) and early modernism. Even the defenders of free verse never spoke as eloquently about this kind of poetry as Yvor. He was also a non-Christian Thomist and metaphysical absolutist, and much of his critical work reflects his philosophical positions. I grew up reading him and learned more from him than any other writer. Though he might have been too restrictive, narrow, and judgmental at times, the works of literature he points to as great are never -- I mean NEVER -- off the mark. He led me to poems and writers and novels and works of history that have been missed but are among the finest work in the English language. Yvor was also a dense, powerful, lovely stylist himself, in the grand manner of the 19th century, tempered by the modernist emphasis on clarity of expression. You should study his writing carefully if you wish to be a critic yourself. Finally, Yvor is a BLAST to read if you are at all interested in high literature at all, because he is so opinionated and clear about his opinions. Much of this book is eruditely entertaining, because Yvor is a master of the subtle, yet devastating put-down. With a simple twist of his rapier-pen, he can destroy a writer or a critic. I always marvel and laugh reading his great cut-up jobs. He has meant so much to me, even though I have expanded far beyond his views during my life as a reader and writer. If you want to learn deeply at the feet of a master -- perhaps his only equal as a critic is Samuel Johnson -- you must go to the mountain and visit Saint Yvor. Please, please, write me any time about this greatest of writers.