Tower, The

Owen Barfield

Description

Owen Barfield is known primarily for his many publications on the evolution of consciousness and the essential reframing of cultural history that results from this theory. At the center of his philosophy is a deep analysis of mythology and poetics that draws from Coleridge, Steiner, and others to reveal the noetic role of the poetic principle and its salient shifts that map the evolution of conscious experience. A member of the Oxford Inklings group, Barfield’s first published book, The Silver Trumpet (1925), is the first märchen, or fantasy story, published by any of them.
Despite the influence Barfield exerted on contemporary authors such as Howard Nemerov and Saul Bellow, the biggest gaps in the published corpus of the Philosopher of Poetry are most of the major poems and poetic dramas he wrote according to his theories that place poetics at the core of conscious experience itself. This current publication remedies this absence by presenting five striking literary pieces composed throughout Barfield’s lifetime. The Tower, an introspective narrative poem, is the ‘great work’ of Barfield’s youth; Medea, a mythopoeic drama, is seemingly his last major poetic and dramatic work. Between these two are the mythopoeic narrative poem Riders on Pegasus, a trilogy of Anthroposophical mystery plays Angels at Bay, and the light-hearted extended poem The Unicorn. Readers of Barfield’s philosophical works and Inklings enthusiasts will find much to admire and enjoy in this volume.

Informations

• Publié par: Parlor Press, LLC
• Date de parution: 26 août 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781643171746
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Major Poems and Plays

THE TOWER
BARFIELD
OWEN BARFIELD is known primarily for his many publications on the evolu- “Barfield towers above us all.” — C.S. Lewis
tion of consciousness and the essential reframing of cultural history that results
from this theory. At the center of his philosophy is a deep analysis of mythology
and poetics that draws from Coleridge, Steiner, and others to reveal the noetic role
of the poetic principle and its salient shifts that map the evolution of conscious OWENexperience. A member of the Oxford Inklings group, Barfeld’s frst published
book, Te Silver Trumpet (1925), is the frst märchen, or fantasy story, published
by any of them.
Despite the infuence Barfeld exerted on contemporary authors such as Howard BARFIELD
Nemerov and Saul Bellow, the biggest gaps in the published corpus of the
Philosopher of Poetry are most of the major poems and poetic dramas he wrote
according to his theories that place poetics at the core of conscious experience
itself. Tis current publication remedies this absence by presenting fve striking
literary pieces composed throughout Barfeld’s lifetime. Te Tower an intr,
ospective narrative poem, is the ‘great work’ of Barfeld’s youth; Medea, a mythopoeic
drama, is seemingly his last major poetic and dramatic work. Between these two are
the mythopoeic narrative poem Riders on Pegasus, a trilogy of Anthroposophical
mystery plays Angels at Bay, and the light-hearted extended poem Te Unicorn.
Readers of Barfeld’s philosophical works and Inklings enthusiasts will fnd much
to admire and enjoy in this volume.
OWEN BARFIELD (1898–1997) is one of the twentieth century’s most original
and infuential literary fgures. His fellow Inklings C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
are among the leading fgures infuenced by Barfeld’s work. Tolkien’s linguistic
and literary philosophy were infuenced by Barfeld’s theories. For Lewis, he was a
life-long friend and creative partner.
LESLIE A. TAYLOR is an independent scholar who specializes in Classical
and Renaissance Literature. JEFFEREY H. TAYLORis P rofessor of English at
Metropolitan State University of Denver. Together, they coauthored Te Infuence
of Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae on John Milton’s Paradise Lost. THE TOWER
Major Poems and Plays
3015 Brackenberry Drive
Anderson, South Carolina 29621
http://www.parlorpress.com
Parlor Edited by Leslie A. Taylor and Jefferey H. TaylorS A N: 2 5 4 – 8 8 7 9
PressISBN 978-1-64317-172-2The Tower: Major Poems and PlaysTHE TOWER
MAJOR POEMS AND PLAYS
Owen Barfield
Edited by Leslie A. Taylor
and Jefferey H. Taylor
Parlor Press
Anderson, South Carolina
www.parlorpress.comParlor Press LLC, Anderson, South Carolina, 29621
© 2021 the Owen Barfeld Literary Estate. Te editors’ contributions to the work
© 2021 by Leslie A. Taylor and Jeferey H. Taylor.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
S A N: 2 5 4 - 8 8 7 9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Barfeld, Owen, 1898-1997, author. | Taylor, Leslie A., 1964-
editor. | Taylor, Jeferey H., editor.
Title: Te tower : major poems and plays / Owen Barfeld ; edited by Leslie
A. Taylor and Jeferey H. Taylor.
Description: Anderson, South Carolina : Parlor Press, [2021] | Includes
bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Te Tower: Major Poems
and Plays presents fve literary pieces composed throughout Owen
Barfeld’s lifetime. Previously unpublished, these works contribute to
the corpus of twentieth century literature and express in literary form
the salient ideas Barfeld explored in his well-known philosophical
works”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifers: LCCN 2020048498 (print) | LCCN 2020048499 (ebook) | ISBN
9781643171722 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781643171746 (pdf) | ISBN
9781643171753 (epub)
Subjects: LCGFT: Poetry.
Classifcation: LCC PR6052.A643 T69 2021 (print) | LCC PR6052.A643
(ebook) | DDC 821/.912--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048498
LC ebook record avv/2020048499
2 3 4 5
Cover photos by Guillaume Flandre on Unsplash (Tower / Church in
Cambridge); “Owen Barfeld” (1923). Courtesy of the Bodleian Library,
Oxford University.
Book design by David Blakesley.
Parlor Press, LLC is an independent publisher of scholarly and trade titles in
print and multimedia formats. Tis book is available in paperback and ebook
formats from Parlor Press on the World Wide Web at http://www.parlorpress.
com or through online and brick-and-mortar bookstores. For submission
information or to fnd out about Parlor Press publications, write to Parlor
Press, 3015 Brackenberry Drive, Anderson, South Carolina, 29621, or email
[e-mail]
Foreword vii
Preface ix
General Introduction 3
Introduction to Te Tower 15
Te Tower 35
Introduction to Angels at Bay 77
Angels at Bay 83
I. Te Wall 85
II. Te Human Dynamo 101
III. Te Paranoia Wing 119
Introduction to Te Unicorn 143
Te Unicorn 147
Introduction to Riders on Pegasus 171
Riders on Pegasus 179
Introduction to Medea 279
Medea 283
Bibliography 315
Index 317
About the Author 319
About the Editors 319
vForeword
itting in my study, it seems that every news article is filled with
updates about the coronavirus pandemic. We are undoubte-dly facSing a unique and unprecedented challenge, with millions of souls
across the world experiencing some form of enforced isolation due to
an invisible, airborne enemy. In so many ways, the situation is one of
individual and collective tragedy. However, it is also an opportunity for
quietness, reflection – to look within as well as beyond towar-ds a deep
er participation in all Creation. This timely collection of Grandfather’s
most significant poems and plays offers to take us on such a journey into
the poetic imagination. The Taylors are insightful and knowledgeable
guides on this voyage of exploration, and I am equally grateful for their
scholarship and company!
Grandfather wrote extensively across a range of genres – f - rom chil
dren’s fantasy adventure to science fiction, monographs on economics,
and even collaborating with Tolkien on the odd spoof examination paper
for the more inactive members of his walking club – the Cretaceous
Perambulators, which was largely composed of the Inklings and their
friends. But he always thought of himself as a poet at heart – poetry was
his first love. I think he would be completely thrilled with th-is thought
ful and valuable publication.
Owen A. Barfield
Grandson & Trustee
Oxfordshire, England
April 2020
www.owenbarfield.org
viiPreFaCe
his compilation of Owen Barfield’s major poems and plays is
the result of a bit of sleuthing. It began with a six-day visit to the T Bodleian Library to peruse the Owen Barfield Archive in early
2016 during which we happily encountered some of the literary works
included in this collection. A second trip to the Bodleian followed in
early 2018. We approached this collection as scholars who were familiar
with—and applied to our own scholarship—Barfield’s theories on the
evolution of consciousness as laid out in his numerous publications over
the course of his life.
We are indebted to numerous individuals who have helped bring
this project about. Foremost is Owen A. Barfield, grandson and executor
of the Barfield Literary Estate, whose encouragement, friendship, and
wealth of understanding made this work possible. Gabriel Schenk has
provided invaluable assistance over the years in support of the literary
estate, including for these texts. Martin Ovens organized t-he confer
ence on Owen Barfield in Contemporary Contexts in March of 2016 at
Wolfson College, Oxford. We are grateful to David Blakesle-y of Clem
son University who readily saw the value in these literary gem-s and of
fered Parlor Press as a forum for publication. Over the years members
of the Owen Barfield Society (OBS) have contributed much t-o the de
velopment of Barfield research and publication, most notably Jane and
Terry Hipolito, also Peter Fields, Julie Nichols, and other outstanding
scholars—special thanks to John Ulreich who presented on Barfield’s
Orpheus at the OBS session of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language
Association conference in Santa Fe in 2015 and distributed copies of his
1983 edition of the play. Other scholars who have laid the foundations
for this work include Simon Blaxland-de Lange, Verlyn Flieg-er, Wal
ter Hooper, Jeanne Clayton Hunter, Thomas Kranidas, David Lavery,
Donna Potts, G. B. Tennyson, Raymond Tripp, and others. We have had
the comradeship of many friends and colleagues in this endeavo-r, includ
ing students in the Inklings seminar, the Epic Traditions seminar, and
ixPREFACE
Mythology & Literature courses at MSU-Denver, members of the Grey
Havens Society of Longmont, Colorado, and the Original Participants
of Denver, Colorado. We offer addition