Most of the poems in George Herbert's TheChurch (1633) are one-of-a-kind irregularlyshaped anomalies. By employing the dimeter infifty of the one hundred and sixty poems, Herbertwas able to create a wide variety of outlinepatterns. The poems that contain lines of two-feetnot only include silhouettes of objects (e.g., Easter Wings and The Altar), but also shapes thatmirror physical movement and internal processesas well.After reviewing how the dimeter functions in non-dramatic English poetry published before 1633and what is given shape in Greek, neo-Latin, andEnglish figure poetry preceding The Church, Idiscuss in great detail how George Herbert walksoutside any practice before him by means of histwo-feet to radically fuse content and form. Asthe words become the flesh of forms, simultaneously each fresh incarnation looks,works and speaks the word that gives it life.

Here is a guidebook for those who want to learn how to recognize books that are spiritually and aesthetically good—to cultivate good literary taste. Gene Edward Veith presents basic information to help book lovers understand what they read—from the classics to the bestsellers. He explains how the major genres of literature communicate. He explores ways comedy, tragedy, realism, and fantasy can portray the Christian worldview. These discussions lead to a host of related topics—the value of fairy tales for children, the tragic and the comic sense of life, the interplay between Greek and Biblical concepts in the imagination, and the new "post-modernism" (a subject of vital importance to Christians). In the pages of this book, readers will meet writers, past and present who carry on a great literary tradition. By supporting worthy authors, Christians can exert a powerful influence on their culture.

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