The Poetic Imagination

Traditions of Christian Spirituality

by William Countryman

Anglicanism, as Countryman argues, is unusual among forms of Western Christianity in being defined primarily in terms of community rather than by authoritative theological principles. In the end, Anglicanism may be characterized by a poetic imagination well reflected in the work of many of the great lyric poets of the English language. Poets ranging from Herbert, Donne, and Vaughn, to Blake, Wordsworth, Owen, Eliot, and Auden, for all their differences, show a common reverence for scriptural and liturgical language, an appreciation for the created world, a sense of the presence/absence of God, and the power of grace.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality, Religion, Poetry

214 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 1999

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A foundational book which sends me scurrying over the landscape in search of poets I have overlooked!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was required for my Anglican Ethos class. It took a bit to get into it, but it was actually helpful in understanding how the Anglican faith and the Book of Common Prayer shaped and were shaped by the English poetic literary heritage.

[Jonathan Frazier]

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