4.0
The Poetics of Space
ByPublisher Description
A beloved multidisciplinary treatise comes to Penguin Classics
Since its initial publication in 1958, The Poetics of Space has been a muse to philosophers, architects, writers, psychologists, critics, and readers alike. The rare work of irresistibly inviting philosophy, Bachelard’s seminal work brims with quiet revelations and stirring, mysterious imagery. This lyrical journey takes as its premise the emergence of the poetic image and finds an ideal metaphor in the intimate spaces of our homes. Guiding us through a stream of meditations on poetry, art, and the blooming of consciousness itself, Bachelard examines the domestic places that shape and hold our dreams and memories. Houses and rooms; cellars and attics; drawers, chests, and wardrobes; nests and shells; nooks and corners: No space is too vast or too small to be filled by our thoughts and our reveries. In Bachelard’s enchanting spaces, “We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”
This new edition features a foreword by Mark Z. Danielewski, whose bestselling novel House of Leaves drew inspiration from Bachelard’s writings, and an introduction by internationally renowned philosopher Richard Kearney who explains the book’s enduring importance and its role within Bachelard’s remarkable career.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Since its initial publication in 1958, The Poetics of Space has been a muse to philosophers, architects, writers, psychologists, critics, and readers alike. The rare work of irresistibly inviting philosophy, Bachelard’s seminal work brims with quiet revelations and stirring, mysterious imagery. This lyrical journey takes as its premise the emergence of the poetic image and finds an ideal metaphor in the intimate spaces of our homes. Guiding us through a stream of meditations on poetry, art, and the blooming of consciousness itself, Bachelard examines the domestic places that shape and hold our dreams and memories. Houses and rooms; cellars and attics; drawers, chests, and wardrobes; nests and shells; nooks and corners: No space is too vast or too small to be filled by our thoughts and our reveries. In Bachelard’s enchanting spaces, “We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”
This new edition features a foreword by Mark Z. Danielewski, whose bestselling novel House of Leaves drew inspiration from Bachelard’s writings, and an introduction by internationally renowned philosopher Richard Kearney who explains the book’s enduring importance and its role within Bachelard’s remarkable career.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Poetics of Space Reviews
4.0
“this book inhabited my personal bag as i traveled across various cities in the us. its weight was felt both physically and philosophically in its density, making it a sporadic read. yet with each place i inhabited, its salience grew thru intimacy, refining my conceptual model of space as a poetic platform.”
“As a person not well versed in philosophy, foundations established like this, was hard to grasp. However the further one reads, the more the ideas that Bachelard puts forth become more thought provoking and intriguing to read about. I found myself considering and accepting new frameworks of thinking when it comes to the spaces we inhabit as people tied to human experience. So all in all with this book Bachelard (in me at least) accomplished inciting the ideas he set out to highlight in people. So for that reason alone, he made this book something I honestly consider to be a job well done.”
“I've been reading this book since around December of last year, sipping it slowly along the way. Partially because it's very deep in content, and partially because it's very hard to read. But the beauty of space, physical spaces, especially in the home, was so magnified and exalted in this book, that I couldn't help but lifted to a glorious place of wonder.
All that to say, it's not for everyone, but I loved it.”
“I read this last year. Awalnya membaca ini buat bahan riset esai sentimental value (which i never published). Tesis Bachelard sederhana; ia membahas bagaimana sudut-sudut rumah menjadi tempat manusia menyimpan memori dan mimpi. Tulisannya punya flow yang mudah dibaca, tidak terasa begitu teoritis.”
About Gaston Bachelard
Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) was the son of shoemakers who went on to have an illustrious academic career. He is credited with a renewal of emphasis on symbol and poetic meaning in architecture.
Mark Z. Danielewski is the bestselling author of several novels, including House of Leaves and the National Book Award Finalist Only Revolutions. He lives in New York City.
Richard Kearney is an author, a philosopher, and the Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College.
Mark Z. Danielewski is the bestselling author of several novels, including House of Leaves and the National Book Award Finalist Only Revolutions. He lives in New York City.
Richard Kearney is an author, a philosopher, and the Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College.
Other books by Gaston Bachelard
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