The White Goddess
The White Goddess
Robert Graves
Caterina Fake
A very meaningful book. - Caterina Fake
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The White Goddess

The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth

Robert Graves
By
Robert Graves
4.0
3563
ratings on Goodreads

In "The White Goddess," Robert Graves embarks on a mesmerizing journey into the heart of poetic inspiration, weaving together ancient myths, cultural history, and personal insights to illuminate the enigmatic figure at the core of Europe's spiritual and poetic lineage—the White Goddess. This deity, an emblem of birth, love, and death, reveals herself through a myriad of names and faces, embodying the eternal cycle of life that pulses through the world's oldest stories. Graves's exploration is not just an academic exercise; it is a passionate quest to understand the source of "pure poetry" and its unique language, a language that transcends time and place, speaking directly to the soul. With scholarly precision and the heart of a poet, Graves delves into the tangled roots of mythology, unearthing the White Goddess's influence on the minds and works of poets past and present. His narrative is a compelling tapestry of the power of myth and the role of the goddess in the evolution of poetic thought, inviting readers to reconsider the foundations of artistic inspiration. "The White Goddess" stands as a testament to Graves's unparalleled ability to fuse rigorous scholarship with a profound understanding of the human psyche, offering an unforgettable journey into the mythic past and its resonance in the present.

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Released
1948
1 Jan
Length
512
Pages

1

recommendations

recommendation

A very meaningful book. - Caterina Fake
Poetry began in the matriarchal age, and derives its magic from the moon, not from the sun. No poet can hope to understand the nature of poetry unless he has had a vision of the Naked King crucified to the lopped oak, and watched the dancers, red-eyed from the acrid smoke of the sacrificial fires, stamping out the measure of the dance, their bodies bent uncouthly forward, with a monotonous chant of "Kill! kill! kill!" and "Blood! blood! blood!
— Robert Graves, The White Goddess

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