Auden's Apologies for Poetry

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The book explores the transformation of Auden's poetic voice after his move to New York in 1939, challenging the notion that he became a lesser poet. Lucy McDiarmid argues that he shifted his focus from societal critique to a profound commentary on art, emphasizing its perceived insignificance. Analyzing his major works from the 1930s to the 1960s, the text reveals how Auden's later poetry reflects a shift from the oral tradition to a written model, ultimately leading to a poetics that questions the spiritual value of art itself.