Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning

A seminal work from the least known member of the “inklings,” the friendship circle of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and philosopher Owen Barfield. It presents a very interesting take on meaning and symbolism ancient languages that fundamentally changed Tolkien’s and Lewis’ approach to storytelling, empowering them to speak from the level of myths, which explains the perennial appeal of their books and of the film adaptations. I also very much enjoyed Barfield’s work on the philosophy of science, Saving the Appearances.

Owen Barfield's Book Poetic Diction Is Truly An ing Experience & Realize How Far Ahead Of It's Time & STILL IS !! By Henry S. Gurr, Researcher Re Book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. …..The reading of Owen Barfield's book “Poetic Diction”, is a truly astonishing experience!! … He has fully synthesized a literary theory, and a cognitive theory, of how our mind works with words. At a stroke, he rejuvenated and educated us, concerning the study of The Romantic Era of the early 1800’s. He explains how imagination discovers truth and formulates it into valid conceptual structures. He fully realizes that such a truth formulation, is incorporated into the building and changing of the intellectual & social structures, for what Barfield calls '' “The Evolution Of Consciousness. ” '' …As he says in “Poetic Diction”, Mr. Barfield consistently maintains before the reader => '' “Apart from pleasurable entertainment (which must never be forgotten), there are two important functions which poetry is there to perform. One of them is the one I have stressed throughout this book, namely the making of meaning, which gives life to language and makes true knowledge possible. And this it does inasmuch as it is the vehicle of imagination. The other, lying much nearer the surface of life, is to mirror, … the characteristic response of the age in which it is written.” '' …Here we must remember, as Barfield asserts, that the evolving mind does indeed totally create our reality, the only one we will ever know. Moreover, Barfield focuses on our mind’s discovery, as he says in poetry, we => …'' “rather discover what is implicit in “spiritual reality” through an act of imagination. The changing of language [evolving over the millennia] reflects exactly these shifting structures. Poetry allows us not merely to perceive this Evolution [of Consciousness] abstractly, but to relive it through our imaginations.” '' … Thus, when we experience poetry, it is not so much the proof of Barfield’s theory, as it is the immediate perception of the reality he delineates. …What Barfield presents as an essay on poetry, is in fact a fully “diachronic” theory of human cognition, which in other words, has the beginnings of a theory of how our mind works. …His contemporaries could not comprehend what he had done. They could not even perceive the problem he attempted to solve. We can now see the problems very clearly indeed, but we as a culture have not fully considered Barfield’s contribution to their solution. …Barfield describes the many ways we understand poetry, our language and ourselves, and anticipates the intellectual history, of the more than sixty years, which separate his book from us. …Although Barfield’s voice sounds to us as though it comes from a rather distant and somewhat romantic past; it actually calls for a future of greater maturity, and hope than we can recognize through the din of our current distracted chaotic times. If Barfield’s theory is correct, then he should expect to gain more listeners as we “mature.” …Even before the advent of “The New Criticism”.: Barfield’s “Poetic Diction” in the context of 1929. was better attuned than any of The New Criticism were in 1928, … No person back at that time, was able to appreciate the intricate harmonies of Barfield’s thought. The more recent development of such schools as cognitive science, structuralism, phenomenology and deconstructionism, all of which seem strangely consonant with Poetic Diction, should be taken as evidence that the time, may be the preset day, for the literary world to discover Barfield anew!

I would say mythic, poetic diction. Brings together heart and mind ! A wonderful book. But in the words of Melville, “ not for the skimmer of pages” ! Every time I read it Poetic Diction reveals more of it’s depth. For me it will take a life time to attempt to digest this book and I will love every minute of it !

there is a reason Owen Barfield was a member of the Inklings... this book proves his prowess in the theory of Poetic Diction. Who says new is better - in thought this is one of the best texts I have read on the theory of Poetry and why it matters! If you have more than the average interest in poetry this book is a must read... as well as a text every teacher should read (close reading a necessity or you will miss- interpret the author). I know I can hear John Ronald Reuel Tolkien saying "you must have had too much port... but it is true this is probably one of the best theory's of poetry I have read - just to warn you I was excited that I found the Elter Edda sagas and Younger Edda Sagas at a garage sale (translated and edited to English by another Oxford Scholar!

This book is marked used , but looks brand new .

Like Veronica Corningstone I too practice non-regional diction, so I picked up Barfield's book to brush up. Turns out this book is about the study of meaning (right there on the cover). It is an in-depth and scholarly look at the use of poetic diction to essentially transfer old ideas into new understandable language as time passes. The idea that there is nothing new under the sun, we must find better methods of communicating our ideas to one another.

Excellent book, excellent author!!!

One of the reviewers here called Barfield 'a product of his time' and suggested that now he's useful only for practical use, not for contemporary scientists and theorists. I have to disagree, and that's why I'm writing this review. 1) Barfield's views on co-evolution of language and consciousness may not be widely accepted today, but surely they're not 'outdated'. His is simply an alternative theory of language history, and 'alternative' doesn't mean 'wrong'. It isn't 'naive' either: he only notes some rules at work in different languages (such as the tendency to greater abstraction), and applies them to poetry. Nowhere does he regard the metahistory of language as linear, and nowhere does he speak of 'primitive' times, or of evolution towards greater complexity in language, etc. 2) Barfield's theory of metaphor is very stimulating and not at all discredited today. Maybe the former reviewer read too much Donald Davidson who regards Barfield's theory invalid, but for example Paul Ricoeur often cites Barfield approvingly. So it's all a matter of scientific paradigm one works in. I could go on forever, but it'd be better if you didn't trust anyone and simply read some Barfield. Don't read him with 'a priori' knowledge of his being outdated - simply read and evaluate his every argument for yourself to see if it's valid. Theories come and go, but thoughtful books remain.