Shorter Notices
Poetry for You. By C. Day Lewis. (Basil BlackwelL 4s. 6d.)
THIS is an excellent book, and should be in every school library, and available to all boys and girls. The sub-title, "A book for boys and girls on the enjoyment of poetry," explains Mr. Day Lewis's aim' and no one—whether child or grown up—could read this book without enlarging his capacity for both the enjoyment and understanding of poetry. The style is intimate and lively, as it might be in a' classroom where master and pupils enjoy each other's company and respect each other's point of view ; and only very rarely is there a sense of talking down. The examples chosen to illustrate the argu- ments are admirable, drawn from the finest poetry, sufficiently familiar yet, being pure gold, untarnished ; and the range is wide. Mr. Day Lewis covers an astonishing amount of ground in 112 small pages. He plunges bravely in VD answer the challenge, "What is the use of poetry?" He sketches (in perhaps his most questionable chapter) the origins of poetry ; he deals with rhyme, rhythm, image and genre ; he explains what poetry aimed at Yesterday, and what it attempts to do today. He writes of the poem and of the poet. In perhaps his best chapter, he tells from his own experience "how a poem is made " : here is the sound exposition of a master craftsman explain- ing his art simply and unaffectedly, though the gift itself can be neither explained nor imparted.
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