"Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry"
- Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
About this Quote
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel's quote suggests that there is an absence of convincing arguments against the ancients, especially their poetry. He suggests that any arguments that have actually been made against them have actually not been thorough, energetic, or experienced adequate to be really persuading. This suggests that Schlegel believes that the ancients and their poetry deserve respect and admiration, and that any criticism of them ought to be well-thought-out and well-argued. He may also be suggesting that the ancients and their works must be studied and valued, instead of dismissed or slammed without due factor to consider. Schlegel's quote is a suggestion that the ancients and their works ought to be respected and valued, and that any criticism of them ought to be well-thought-out and well-argued.
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
"The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs"
"A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel"
