M. H. Abrams: Human

M. H. Abrams was American literary theorist. Explore interesting quotes on human.
M. H. Abrams: 38   quotes 1   like

“We are human, and nothing is more interesting to us than humanity.”

M. H. Abrams

Cornell Chronicle interview (1999)
Context: We are human, and nothing is more interesting to us than humanity. The appeal of literature is that it is so thoroughly a human thing — by, for and about human beings. If you lose that focus, you obviate the source of the power and permanence of literature.

“Life without literature is a life reduced to penury. It expands you in every way. It illuminates what you’re doing. It shows you possibilities you haven’t thought of. It enables you to live the lives of other people than yourself. It broadens you, it makes you more human. It makes life enjoyable.”

M. H. Abrams

The New York Times dialogue with S. Greenblatt (2012)

Life , People , Way , Literature

“I've always been surprised at the degree of success of The Mirror and the Lamp and the range and duration of esteem for it. … I had no reason to expect in 1953 that it would appeal to more than a specialized group interested in literary criticism. I think one of the reasons why it's been of interest to a broad spectrum of readers is because one of its emphases was on the role of metaphors in steering human thinking. It was a very early book to insist on the role of metaphors in cognition, as well as in imaginative literature — to claim that key metaphors help determine what and how we perceive and how we think about our perceptions. … Natural Supernaturalism is quite well known and even used as a textbook, but it never seems to have attracted the acclaim of its predecessor.”

M. H. Abrams

Cornell Chronicle interview (1999)

Books , Imagination , Literature , Nature

“The survival of artistic modes in which we recognize ourselves, identify ourselves and place ourselves will survive as long as humanity survives.”

M. H. Abrams

On the "death of literature"
Cornell Chronicle interview (1999)