1052 Week 15

MATTHEW ARNOLD

Among the major Victorian writers sharing in a revival of interest and respect in the second half of the twentieth century, Matthew Arnold is unique in that his reputation rests equally upon his poetry and his prose.

Only a quarter of his productive life was given to writing poetry, but many of the same values, attitudes, and feelings that are expressed in his poems achieve a fuller or more balanced formulation in his prose.

This unity was obscured for most earlier readers by the usual evaluations of his poetry as gnomic or thought-laden, or as melancholy or elegiac, and of his prose as urbane, didactic, and often satirically witty in its self-imposed task of enlightening the social consciousness of England.

IDIOM

No harm done.

used to tell someone that no apology or concern is necessary because no damage has been done

Even if it doesn't work, no harm done.

Chew the fat.

to have a friendly conversation, often for a long time

We sat in a bar most of the evening just chewing the fat.

Bite the bullet. 

to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation

I hate going to the dentist, but I'll just have to bite the bullet.

EMILY DICKINSON

She was a reclusive American poet.

Unrecognized in her own time, Dickinson is known posthumously for her innovative use of form and syntax.

She is known for her poignant and compressed verse, which profoundly influenced the direction of 20th-century poetry.

WALT WHITMAN

He was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works.

Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.

His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

DYLAN THOMAS

Though he wrote exclusively in the English language, Thomas has been acknowledged as one of the most important Welsh poets of the 20th century.

He is noted for his original, rhythmic and ingenious use of words and imagery.

BILLY COLLINS

He is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003.

Dubbed ''the most popular poet in America'' by Bruce Weber in the New York Times, Billy Collins is famous for conversational, witty poems that welcome readers with humor but often slip into quirky, tender or profound observation on the everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself. 

FRANK O'HARA

He was an American writer, poet and art critic.

Because of his employment as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art, O'Hara became prominent in New York City's art world.

O'Hara's poetry is personal in tone and in content and has been described as sounding "like entries in a diary".

CLASSICAL UNITIES

Aristotelian unities, or three unities

unity of action

a play should have one action that it follows, with minimal subplots

unity of time

the action in a play should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours

unity of action

a play should exist in a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place

CATHARSIS

It is an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress.

Catharsis is a Greek word and it means cleansing. In literature it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters.

It can also be any other radical change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person.

LEARN DEFINITION

1. to gain knowledge or experience of something, for example by being taught

We’re learning fractions in maths this week.

2. to gain new information about a situation, event, or person

She'll go to great lengths to keep you from learning her secrets.

3. to improve your behavior as a result of gaining greater experience or knowledge of something

His girlfriend’s left him again; some people never learn, do they?

E. E. CUMMINGS

He was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright.

A typical Cummings poem is spare and precise, employing a few key words eccentrically placed on the page.

He is remembered as an eminent voice of 20th-Century English literature.