In a recent piece, prompted by Eliot’s line ‘Humankind cannot bear very much reality’ I suggested that we have constructed a carapace that protects us from Reality much as a spacesuit protects an astronaut or a bathysphere a deep-sea explorer. This in itself is an instance of how metaphor works as a tool of thought … Continue reading The Exploration of Inner Space II : by way of metaphor
Tag: Seamus Heaney
For us, there is only the trying
One thing that being a writer brings home to you is the tentative nature of all writing: it is always an attempt to say something - one that can be more or less successful - and it is always a struggle. And the more difficult the matter, the greater the struggle, because we are conscious … Continue reading For us, there is only the trying
Autumn circular with brambles, hips & haws
(The map for this route can be found here) Well, after a dull morning, the sun came out and so did I. Early on it had shown all the promise of a classic Autumn day - bright sun, a nip in the air, trailers of mist on the hills - but then it all went … Continue reading Autumn circular with brambles, hips & haws
A Way of Thinking
Poetry is a way of thinking. By ‘poetry’ I mean not just poetry but everything that works in a similar fashion - by imagination and instinct - such as music and art generally (it’s handy to remember that ‘poetry’ just means ‘making’) - and by ‘thinking’ I mean rather more than the narrow sense in … Continue reading A Way of Thinking
A true likeness?
If you are not familiar with art history, a painting titled ‘nude descending a staircase’ probably conjures an image of a naked person halfway down a stair, poised in the act of moving from one step to another; but what Marcel Duchamp gives us is this: Here, by way of contrast, are two decently-clad Irishmen, … Continue reading A true likeness?
COMPLEAT TROWZER 