Muriel Bradbrook and Cleanth Brooks discuss the state of poets and poetry in the twentieth century. They describe the themes that dominate contemporary poetry and the unique expressive capacity poetry affords. Bradbrook and Brooks discuss what motivates poets to create, the role of criticism in poetry, and the relationship between poets and the public. They conclude by considering the future of criticism and poetry.
At the time of this interview, Bradbrook, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1978-79, 1980-81), was professor of English at Girton College, the University of Cambridge. Brooks, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1979-81), was professor of English at Yale University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
