A Defence of Poetry

Portrait of P.B. Shelley by After Amelia Curran – https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6370522

A Defence of Poetry is the most famous work of prose by P.B. Shelley (1792-1822). It was written in 1821 as a reaction to his friend Thomas Love Peacock’s treatise called Four Ages of Poetry (1820) which condemns poetry as useless. Shelley, in his essay defends and reasserts the significance of poetry and claims that poetry is superior to all other branches of learning.

Peacock’s Attack on Poetry

Peacock divided poetic works of all time into four ages—iron age, gold age, silver age and the brass age. The gold age produced the noblest poetic works. Later, there was a decay and decline in poetry in the silver age. Their contemporary age was the brass age of poetry. In Peacock’s own words, “a poet in our times is semi barbarian in a civilized community”. He concludes that the poets are useless and the reverence in society will be increasingly given to those who promote utility.
He asserts that poetry is essentially the most worthless of all intellectual exercises and that it can never make a philosopher nor a statesman, nor in any class of life useful or a rational man. He condemns poetry as a mere frivolous (means “childish”) amusement, mere waste of time and energy; and asserts the supremacy of reason over imagination.

Similarities between Sidney’s Apology and Shelley’s Defence

Sidney’s An Apology for Poetry bears remarkable parallels with Shelley’s The Defence of Poetry. They both have been written with the purpose of asserting the nobility, dignity, and usefulness of poetry in human society. Both the treatises can be easily divided into three parts:

1. The first part deals with the definition and nature of poetry.
2. The second part focuses on the noble nature of poetry and reasserts its moral and ethical significance to society.
3. In the third part, poetry has been defended against the charges that have been brought against it.

Shelley added a fourth part in which he summarises his discussion and concludes his treat is with a rhapsodic (means “delightful”) eulogy (means “speech of praise”) of poets and poetry.

Imagination and Its Importance

Shelley defines poetry as “expression of imagination”. Shelley argues that all those who express imagination in life, e.g. sculptors, artists, musicians, even lawgivers and the founder of religion, are poets. All arts are poetry because they all render imagination. Imagination is best rendered with rhythmical (or poetic) language because speech is directly related to our thoughts. Imagination creates thoughts which can be best expressed in poetic language. So, poetic language i.e. poetry is superior to all arts.

Meter and Rhyme

Sidney and Shelley both insist that there is no essential difference between prose and verse. Sidney says:

It is not rhyming or versing that maketh Poesie. One may be a poet without versifying and a versifier without poetry”.

Similarly, Shelley also denies the necessity of rhyme and metre. Dignity and nobility of thought and suitably harmonious and rhythmical language are essential elements of poetry. However, rhythmical language is not limited to verse. A good prose also possesses excellent rhythm of its own. Like Wordsworth, Shelley also differs in view with Coleridge who advocates for difference of language between prose and poetry.

Moral Function of Poetry

After establishing the superiority of poetry, Shelley like Sidney, proceeds to define the function of poetry, which is essentially moral. Emphasizing the importance of imagination, Shelley argues that imagination always plays an important role in the growth of moral sense. Poetry best appeals to the imaginative and emotional faculties. He asserts that humans never lacked excellent moral precepts (means “principles”). They have always known, at least in theory, what ought to be done, but lacked the understanding to apply that knowledge in everyday life. This lack of understanding is due to the lack of imagination. Want of imagination causes want of sympathy which produces callousness (means “insensitive”) and cruelty. So, Shelley recommends that:

A man to be greatly good must imagine intensely and comprehensively…. Poetry strengthens the faculty (i.e. imagination) which is the organ of moral nature”.

Thus no teacher can teach morality better than poetry. However, teaching morality directly is not good because such moral conceptions are limited to time and place. Didactic poetry has, therefore, always been an inferior kind.

Shelley adds that poetry not only extends the imaginative power but also has ennobling (means “elevating”) effect on the quality of the imagination.
Another moral function poetry serves is to give increased value to ordinary human life. Poetry give the charm of novelty to things of everyday life. To quote Shelley:

[Poetry] strips the veil of familiarity from the world and lays bare the naked and sleeping beauty which is the spirit of its forms”.

Further, Shelley adds that poetry makes immortal all that is best and most beautiful in the world. He says:

Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds”.

A great poem is like a fountain ever overflowing with the waters of wisdom and delight. Even after an age has exhausted all its capacities, further ages will still find new ones.

Sidney’s Defence of Poetry

Shelley accepts Plato’s theory that all things in the world are only copies of divine ideas. But he claims that poetry has the ability to go beyond mere copies and directly convey the divine idea itself. In other words, poetry, according to Shelley, serves as a direct expression or revelation of the divine concept rather than just being a reflection or imitation. As Shelley says:

A poem is the very image of life expressed in its eternal truth…. It is the creation of actions…. as existing in the mind of the Creator”.

Like Sidney, Shelley also defends poetry saying that poetry is better than nature because it corrects the distortions of the divine ideas, which happens when the idea is manifested in earthly objects and forms. Contrary Sidney’s view that “nature’s world is brazen (means “made of brass”), the poet delivers a golden one”, Shelley believes that the poet gets to the heart of the nature by setting the eternal type free from its accidents.

Conclusion

Sidney’s “Defence” is an important landmark of literary criticism. It is a substantial theoretical statement of the nature and significance of poetry. It defends not only poetry but all imaginative activities. It reveals Shelley’s profound faith on the capabilities of poetry, as Matthew Arnold asserts:

Poetry for Shelley takes the place of religion”.

If you are preparing for UGC-NET, you may find this article useful.

©2023 Md Rustam Ansari [profrustamansari@gmail.com]