{"product_id":"the-criticism-of-didactic-poetry-alexander-dalzell-9781442612990","title":"The Criticism of Didactic Poetry: Essays on Lucretius, Virgil, and Ovid","description":"\u003cp\u003eShelley thought all didactic poetry an 'abhorrence, ' and most of the Romantics agreed with this judgment. Critics in this century have been less dismissive of the genre, but seem puzzled by it. There has been a tendency to treat a didactic poem as though it were a kind of lyric, in which the focus of interest lies in the emotions and feelings of the writer. But didactic poetry has a purpose, history, and character of its own. This original and important book asks the question, 'What can the practising critic usefully say about a didactic poem?' \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is not primarily a book about theory, but a guide to practical criticism combined with a fresh reading of the chosen texts. Through a close analysis of three of the major didactic poems in the classical canon, the \u003cem\u003eDe rerum natura\u003c\/em\u003e of Lucretius, the \u003cem\u003eGeorgics\u003c\/em\u003e of Virgil, and the \u003cem\u003eArs amatoria\u003c\/em\u003e of Ovid, Dalzell's aim is to consider these poems as a genre and to ascertain what tools are available to the critic for their understanding. He raises questions about the limits of genre criticism, the relationship of poetry and knowledge, reader-response, and historical reception. Can there be a poetry of statement? Is all genuine poetry necessarily fictive in some sense? To what extent is a serious didactic intent compatible with poetry?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Criticism of Didactic Poetry\u003c\/em\u003e is primarily of interest to classicists. It will also be of great value to scholars of other literatures who are interested in the history of the genre or in the theoretical debate about whether poetry can encompass knowledge. This book is a significant original contribution to the field, with the potential to influence future scholarly thinking on didactic poetry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alexander Dalzell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1442612991\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781442612990\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Toronto Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.68lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.48d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alexander Dalzell","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44634488865023,"sku":"9781442612990","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2fb25da5-feb6-4433-a0a5-4640acb62b35.jpg?v=1703589604","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-criticism-of-didactic-poetry-alexander-dalzell-9781442612990","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}