The Radiant Dream : Notes on Henry Kendall

Abstract

Mitchell looks to Kendall’s poetry for a “system of images that amount to a loose poetic philosophy, an attitude of mind that is formulated emotionally rather than logically, but in any case consistently”. Mitchell detects an observer who occupies a middle (dream-like) state beside a stream between differents poles such as real/ideal and city/forest. Although the observer seeks but can’t find the source of this stream, he gains the ability to believe in poetic vision–the radiant dream. Mitchell argues that all of Kendall’s poetry shows a progression towards the acceptance of this ability.