Stewart

Susan Stewart, in her Poetry and the Fate of the Senses, says that poetry is an attempt on the part humanity to bring finitude to a seemingly infinite world. The base metaphor is that of light and darkness. Darkness, she says, is the presence of eternality and immortality, the limitless uknown. She says, "In the darkness all territory is without bound or name, all lines are crossed, all acts are improvisational in their means and ends..." I have started and re-started this book several times, being side tracked by other demands, but I'm curious as to whether she will fill this our further. Particularly, I wonder about the correlation she draws between darkness and improvisation. Would this suggest a connection between light and correography? Is poetry an attempt at a verbal liturgy?