Before the Romantics - Primary Source Edition

by Geoffrey Grigson

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Grigson was educated at St John's School, Leatherhead, and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He first came to prominence in the 1930s as a poet, then as editor from 1933 of the influential poetry magazine New Verse. A teacher, journalist and broadcaster, later in life he was a noted critic, reviewer (for the New York Review of Books in particular), and compiler of many inventive and innovative anthologies. He published 13 collections of poetry, and wrote on travel, on art (notably works on Samuel Palmer, Wyndham Lewis and Henry Moore), on the English countryside, and on botany, among other subjects.
Geoffrey Grigson's first wife was Frances Galt (who died in 1937 of tuberculosis). With her, he founded New Verse. They had one daughter, Caroline (who was married to the designer Colin Banks). Grigson's second marriage was to Berta (Bertschy) Emma Kunert, who bore him two children, Anna and Lionel Grigson, the jazz musician and educator. Following their divorce, Grigson's third and last marriage was to Jane Grigson, née McIntire (1928–90), the writer on food and cookery. Their daughter is the cookery writer Sophie Grigson.
Geoffrey Grigson in his later life lived partly in Wiltshire, England, and partly in Trôo, a village in the Loir-et-Cher département in France, which features in his poetry. He died in Wiltshire in 1985.

Reviews

[^ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Contents list elegantly comprises: Preface; Part One: “The Virtuosos”; Part Two: “Nature More Natural”; Part 3: Epilogue: “Flowers Among Reason”; Notes; and List of Authors.

Geoffrey Grigson has introduced me to a period of English poetry which previously I barely knew of. I was greatly encouraged by his observation that the poets of the Enlightenment were those who looked for the ‘gleam’, and ‘sharp glitter of objects’ (Preface). They saw with eyes wide open for reality, and employed words of imagination and awe. They spoke openly of Death; a more commonplace event to them than to many of us today.

This is a book of extracts, tasters of the most ethereal and charmed of thoughts. The dry and monotonous is not to be found within these pages because Grigson has selected the jewels from whole works.

“… In Pearls and Rubies rich the Hawthorns show,
While thro’ the Ice the Crimson Berries glow. …
…When if a sudden Gust of Wind arise,
The Brittle Forest into Atoms flies;
The crackling Wood beneath the Tempest bends,
And in a spangled Show’r the Prospect ends …” ((no. 202).
(Ambrose Philips (1675? – 1749).

… describes my absolute favourite winter weather of the English countryside, dry, cold, re-frozen snow and ice warmed by the sun; and where, as night falls one might find:

“…the Moon
Full-orbed, and breaking thro’ the scatter’d Clouds.
Shews her broad Visage in the crimsone’d East.
…” ”. (no. 347).
(James Thomson (1700 – 1748).


I am a great fan of metrical poetry. I really enjoy recognising and reading aloud the author’s exercise of skill with which good verse is constructed (even if I’m not too hot on identifying the form). Too much of what passes for poetry today is in reality creative ‘poetic’ writing; and ought not be confused with the knowledge and considerable expertise required to write good verse which is satisfying to mind and ear.