There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry channels emotions rather than simply expressing them rawly.
T. S. Eliot emphasizes that poetry serves as a means to transcend raw emotions, allowing poets and readers to transform and distance themselves from their feelings. Instead of being overwhelmed by passion, poetry provides a structured form that helps to shape and convey these emotions in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
Themes
PoetryEmotionArtExpressionTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a lecture on the role of poetry in emotional expression.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
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I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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