The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Poetry for poetry's sake : a defence

Poetry for poetry's sake : a defence
Poetry for poetry's sake : a defence

This thesis is an attempt to defend the view that the value of a poem may be intrinsic: that a poem may be valuable for its own sake. Against the backdrop of the debate between A.C. Bradley and Peter Kivy, which reflects a fundamental conflict between the upholders of the intrinsic and instrumental values of poetry, the aesthetic theories of Kant, Collingwood and Heidegger are examined, and it is argued that they constitute a 'medium-centered tradition' of philosophizing about poetry. There are a detailed treatment of Kant's neglected concept of aesthetic ideas, a discussion of Collingwood's notion of 'expression' and concepts of 'medium' and 'tradition', and an elucidation of Heidegger's innovative conception of the artwork as an interplay between the world and the earth. The medium-centered approach is treated as a philosophical expression and justification of the literary critical maxim that poetry be read for its own sake. It is also shown how this approach connects the unique value of a poem with its being derived from the creative play with the medium, with its nature as a work of art. Thus, since it delineates the realm of poetry in terms of its medium, not purposes it serves or its institutional setting, it is demonstrated that this approach does justice to the peculiar genius of poetry. The theories of poetry of Kant, Collingwood and Heidegger not only save Bradley's position but open up a space for discussions of larger themes such as the claim that what a good poem offers is distinct from the readymade intellectual content.

University of Southampton
Bagad, Prashant
d92c5c57-bdba-49b3-831b-986331497814
Bagad, Prashant
d92c5c57-bdba-49b3-831b-986331497814

Bagad, Prashant (2008) Poetry for poetry's sake : a defence. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to defend the view that the value of a poem may be intrinsic: that a poem may be valuable for its own sake. Against the backdrop of the debate between A.C. Bradley and Peter Kivy, which reflects a fundamental conflict between the upholders of the intrinsic and instrumental values of poetry, the aesthetic theories of Kant, Collingwood and Heidegger are examined, and it is argued that they constitute a 'medium-centered tradition' of philosophizing about poetry. There are a detailed treatment of Kant's neglected concept of aesthetic ideas, a discussion of Collingwood's notion of 'expression' and concepts of 'medium' and 'tradition', and an elucidation of Heidegger's innovative conception of the artwork as an interplay between the world and the earth. The medium-centered approach is treated as a philosophical expression and justification of the literary critical maxim that poetry be read for its own sake. It is also shown how this approach connects the unique value of a poem with its being derived from the creative play with the medium, with its nature as a work of art. Thus, since it delineates the realm of poetry in terms of its medium, not purposes it serves or its institutional setting, it is demonstrated that this approach does justice to the peculiar genius of poetry. The theories of poetry of Kant, Collingwood and Heidegger not only save Bradley's position but open up a space for discussions of larger themes such as the claim that what a good poem offers is distinct from the readymade intellectual content.

Text
1204686.pdf - Version of Record
Available under License University of Southampton Thesis Licence.
Download (11MB)

More information

Published date: 2008

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 466526
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/466526
PURE UUID: b0acf9e1-dfde-47e7-ba77-729d1deb0ca0

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 05:38
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:45

Export record

Contributors

Author: Prashant Bagad

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×