For the past four decades Frank Kermode, critic and writer, has steadily established himself as one of the most brilliant minds of his generation. Author and editor of over forty books, his prodigious output includes some of the best literary criticism to be published. Questioning the public's harsh perception of 'the artist', Kermode at the same time gently pokes fun at artists' own, often inflated, self-image. He identifies what has become one of the defining characteristics of the Romantic tradition - the artist in isolation and the emerging power of the imagination. The ingeniousness of Kermode's argument and the polish and wit of the writing all serve to identify the book as one of his finest offerings. Back in print after an absence of over a decade, The Romantic Image is quintessential Kermode. Small wonder then that this, one of his earliest works, is such a classic. Enlightenment has seldom been so enjoyable!

    Preface, A Note on the Frontispiece, Part I Dancer and Tree, Part II The Twentieth Century, Epilogue, Index

    Biography

    Frank Kermode

    'Sir Frank Kermode's effortless learning, lucid intelligence and wry, self-deprecating style prove that, at its best, literary criticism itself is a lively art.' - Al Alvarez

    'In this extremely important book of speculative and scholarly criticism, Mr Kermode is setting out to re-define the notion of the Romantic tradition, especially in relation to English poetry and criticism.' - Times Literary Supplement