“I hold that a long poem does not exist. I maintain that the phrase, “a long poem,” is simply a flat contradiction in terms.”

Arguing that poetic intensity cannot be sustained indefinitely · Essay on poetics, published 1850

• Art
• Poetry

“Melancholy is thus the most legitimate of all the poetical tones.”

Linking the highest poetic effect to a tone of melancholy · Essay, The Philosophy of Composition, 1846

• Melancholy
• Poetry
• Tone

“There neither exists nor can exist any work more thoroughly dignified — more supremely noble than this very poem — this poem per se — this poem which is a poem and nothing more — this poem written solely for the poem’s sake.”

Defending the autonomy of poetry written purely for its own sake · Essay, The Poetic Principle

• Nobility
• Poetry
• Purpose