“The poem is a thing made out of the language, and it is not a representation of something else.”

Defining poetry as an autonomous verbal construction rather than a copy of an external reality · Essay, The New Criticism

• Art
• Language
• Poetry

“The students of the future must be permitted to study literature, and not merely about literature.”

A forceful argument for direct engagement with literature rather than allowing literary study to become detached from the works themselves. · Essay, Criticism, Inc.

• Education
• Literature
• Reading

“I hate a professional poet. I know people who have ruined themselves by being professional poets, because they end up imitating themselves.”

A warning that professional success can encourage repetition and stifle artistic renewal. · Conversation with Robert Penn Warren, as recalled by Warren

• Creativity
• Originality
• Writing