Project Gutenberg 2004-12-27 Public domain in the USA. 103 Lowell, James Russell 1819 1891 Wilbur, Homer Meliboeus-Hipponax Mordell, Albert 1885 1965 The Function of the Poet, and Other Essays Produced by Ted Garvin, Thomas Amrhein and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Function of the Poet, and Other Essays" by James Russell Lowell is a collection of literary criticism written in the mid-19th century. The essays delve into the roles and functions of poetry and poets, reflecting Lowell's contemplations on the nature of creativity, culture, and the evolution of poetry through different eras. The work expresses a deep appreciation for classic poets while also addressing the contemporary literary landscape of his time. The opening of the book sets the stage for a profound exploration of the poet's vocation, discussing how the poet serves as both a "seer" and a "maker." It highlights the duality of the poet's role in society—entertaining as well as enlightening—and how poets historically combined spiritual insight with earthly storytelling. In particular, it emphasizes the connection between imagination and understanding that is vital for meaningful poetic expression. This opening portion suggests that Lowell believes the function of the poet is not just to create beauty but to reflect and elevate the human experience, positing that poets can renew and redeem the collective spirit of their times. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 61.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Literature -- History and criticism PN Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 353099 2025-07-06T09:55:56.550896 text/html 352920 2025-01-14T00:52:59.831323 text/html 222791 2025-07-06T09:56:03.496890 application/epub+zip 226602 2025-07-06T09:55:59.483887 application/epub+zip 207825 2025-07-06T09:55:58.364863 application/epub+zip 454500 2025-07-06T09:56:06.653881 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 426747 2025-07-06T09:56:02.791927 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 393064 2022-09-07T16:42:15.031343 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 328806 2025-07-06T09:55:56.233919 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 309004 2024-10-28T21:32:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16868 2025-07-06T09:56:06.781829 application/rdf+xml 19347 2025-07-06T09:55:58.860854 image/jpeg 4309 2025-07-06T09:55:58.607881 image/jpeg 218739 2025-07-06T09:55:56.578895 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia