- Hardcover
- Publisher: Viking Pr (10 Feb 1964)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0670562696
- ISBN-13: 978-0670562695
- Product Dimensions: 50.8 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,191,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
A magical book. . . . A prism through which all worlds from literary creation to housework to aesthetics to carpentry take on enhanced-and enchanted-significances. Every reader of it will never see ordinary spaces in ordinary ways. Instead the reader will see with the soul of the eye, the glint of Gaston Bachelard. -from the foreword by John R. Stilgoe
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
113 of 114 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
French cultural theory is known for its wordiness and complexity, and yet in 'The Poetics of Space', Bachelard largely transcends these potential pitfalls and instead produces a meditative, poetic book that was not what I expected. It is still theory, and so not a light read, but the daydreams and thoughts this book inspires whilst reading make it far from an arduous text. What makes this book special is its amazingly straightforward subject matter: the spaces in which we live - cellars, corners, wardrobes, shells - and reading it makes you wonder why there has been so little theoretical consideration of such an important aspect of human life. The synthesis of theory, literature and architecture in this book is an unusual one, but fascinating in its originality.
Bachelard approaches philosophy from the angle of poetry, using a number of different poets and writers to illustrate and expand upon his discussion of how people experience and think about the spaces we inhabit. Quite a different tack from most theory, but as he writes, "How much philosophers would learn, if they would consent to read the poets!" I'm not a fan of poetry, but I'll certainly be following up on a few poets quoted, especially Rilke - Bachelard discusses their work with real insight. Nonetheless, he writes phenomenology rather than literary criticism, yet the extensive use of quotation does not feel at all extraneous to his argument. 'The Poetics of Space' is perhaps aesthetic philosphy that integrates creativity and thought better than anything else I've read.
Why not five stars? It takes a little while to get into Bachelard's style, and the theory-dense introduction is not the easiest of openings. Nonetheless, as you acclimatise to his way of thought, the book gets better and better; the penultimate chapter on "intimate immensity" is a beautiful consideration of human fascination with deserts and the sea. I think it is a book I will be coming back to, and I suspect it will reveal itself more with each reading.
95 of 99 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Poetics of Space is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. It is to be taken slowly - the author's primary idea is that people crave spaces that inspire them to daydream. The style of the book is one that inspires daydreams itself; you will suddenly find that you have placed the book in your lap and you were off daydreaming! Poetics of Space is a methodical, carefully argued book which tells us that we read spaces like we read a book. There is a distinct psychology to each type of space - attics, cellars, the forest, and nests are just some of the spaces examined. The author was chair of the Philosophy department at the Sorbonne. For most of his life, he examined the philosophy of science, but in his later years he turned to artistic reverie as his main subject. The book is written with thought, love, and passion and is a tour-de-force. Highly recommended to those who enjoy poetry, philosophy, architecture or art.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The author has treated a very difficult subject with such sensitivity and clarity of thought, taking the reader through the various dimensions and aspects of intimate space. As a professional geographer, I would have called it intimate 'place' not 'space', but place has a particular meaning in the English language that is hard to translate into French (the same is true in reverse). I think this might have worked to the advantage of the author in that it forced him to be very clear about what he means. I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in the meaning of home. Super read deserving 6 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A beautiful book
This book is oneiric and understands what poetry truly is; the ability to see. Whilst I do have reservations on its use of the dialectic, this really is a must read for anyone who... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stuart Blaney
Nailing down the butterfly
Bachelard is attempting something so difficult it is no wonder this is a very demanding read. Having spent a lifetime doing "proper" philosophy, he realises that the analytical,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Peasant
Delivered on time
A very enlightening and thought provoking read so far. I am very intregued by some of the ideas and will be using them in my teaching to develop a more imaginative and enquiring... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. Anthony Gittens
the poetics of space
a must read for any aspiring artist... you must be patient to read this, and you must find the "space" to absorb it.
Published on 11 Oct 2009 by L. Nammari
Student Recommendation
This book literally dragged me through my third year and I'm sure had I read it in year one my work would have had much more substance and depth. Read more
Published on 11 May 2008 by RB Davies
A wonderful book to capture your daydreams with
This book had totally captured my imagination and has become the inspiration for my artwork. How we look at the spaces of everyday items has evoked memories long hidden in the... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2008 by C. T. Gray
A book to doze into
This book first came to my attention 25 years ago, I finally read it about 18 years ago, and still its allure enchants me. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2007 by Pillowtail
Lots of Words, Doesn't Say Much
After reading the positive reviews for this book, I thought "what the hell", and bought it. I thought the same thing when I read it, but in a different way. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2004 by "benji_j"
A beautiful and thought -provoking book
I was asked to read this book before going to university and therefore saw reading it as more of an obstacle to be overcome than an experience to be enjoyed. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 1999
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