The Orphic Voice

The Orphic Voice
Elizabeth Sewell, David Schenck
RRP:
NZ$ 48.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 38.40
Paperback
h203 x 127mm - 496pg
19 Apr 2022 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781681376011
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Quantity:
 
 
A wondrously written book of literary criticism and philosophy that maps the relationship between poetry and natural history, connecting verse from poets such as Shakespeare and Rainer Maria Rilke to the work of scientists and theorists like Francis Bacon and Michael Polanyi. The Orphic Voice is a book about the relationship between poetry and our place in and knowledge of the natural world, written by one of the most original, distinguished, and visionary literary thinkers of the late twentieth century. Taking its bearings from the Greek myth of Orpheus, whose singing had the power to move rocks and trees and to quiet animals, The Orphic Voice is an exercise in what Elizabeth Sewell calls mythic thinking. Myth is not, she argues, mere fable; it is instead a way of configuring our fundamental bonds to the living universe, and mythic thinking represents an ancient and vital form of reflection, uniting great poets like Shakespeare and Wordsworth and Rilke to remarkable thinkers and scientists such as Francis Bacon, Giambattista Vico, and Michael Polanyi. The members of this Orphic company share a common perception that "discovery, in science and poetry, is a mythological situation in which the mind unites with a figure of its own devising as a means toward understanding the world. " Sewell' s visionary book, first published in 1960, offers transformative readings of A Midsummer Night' s Dream, The Prelude, and Sonnets to Orpheus, among other masterpieces, while deepening our understanding not only of literature but of our biological and sexual being and bond to nature as a whole.
Elizabeth Sewell (1919-2001) was an author and academic best known for her criticism exploring the links between literature and science. She taught at numerous universities during her career, including Vassar College, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In addition to her books of criticism, she published several novels and poetry collections along with a memoir, An Idea, and a book of essays, To Be a True Poem. David Schenck is a writer and academic, and was a friend of Elizabeth Sewell.

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information

Details of the product above will be automatically included with your enquiry.