The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition

“The title of the book identifies two common and antithetic metaphors of mind, one comparing the mind to a reflector of external objects, the other to a radiant projector which makes a contribution to the objects it perceives.”

This opening discussion establishes the importance of metaphor in critical discussion and literary critical history. It also establishes the fundamental argument of the book—that romantic poetic thought sees poetry as heightening human experience rather than simply reflecting it.

Its aim, however, is not to establish correlations between facts which will enable us to predict the future by reference to the past, but to establish principles enabling us to justify, order, and clarify our interpretation and appraisal of the aesthetic facts themselves.”

Abrams’s explanation of his focus on the history of Aesthetics and literary criticism demonstrates his overarching purpose in the book. Rather than focus on surface analysis or factual discussions, he emulates romantic thinkers by highlighting the foundations of literary criticism and poetry itself to create a more integrated critical approach.

“The first test any poem must pass is no longer, ‘Is it true to nature?’ or ‘Is it appropriate to the requirements either of the best judges or the generality of mankind?’ but a criterion looking in a different direction; namely, ‘Is it sincere? Is it genuine? Does it match the intention, the feeling, and the actual state of mind of the poet while composing?’”

This description of the shift in evaluative criteria in the romantic period highlights the importance of the poet and emotion in romantic poetry and critical thought. Abrams shows that the means by which scholars and poets judged poetry looked at whether the poem was “sincere” and “genuine” to the poet’s subjective and emotional experience.