The Towering Irrelevance

"I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, upon various subjects; several things dove-tailed in my mind, & at once it struck me what quality went to form a Man of Achievement, especially in Literature, & and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason - Coleridge, for instance, would let go by a fine isolated verisimilitude caught from the Penetralium of mystery, from being incapable of remaining content with half-knowledge. This pursued through volumes would perhaps take us no further than this, that with a great poet the sense of Beauty overcomes every other consideration, or rather obliterates all consideration."

John Keats, from a letter to his brothers (George & Thomas) on Dec. 22, 1817. (via ecantwell)

This is still perhaps the single most desirable quality in literature, and the one with the single most useless name. Even literatures, like Science Fiction, whose very generic definitions demand of them a prose of explanation, are often best served by an author’s Negative Capability, by her choice to leave well enough alone.

1. maarkm reblogged this from mmakingelectricity and added:

   THIS IS THE WAY EVERYONE NEEDS TO LIVE THEIR LIFE. THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION.

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17. judedippold said: Your posts are consistently interesting, literate, and thoughtful. Glad I stumbled across you. Here’s my blog: judedippold.tumblr.com
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32. dianaarterian said: I’m reading these over break too! :)
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