Every Changing Shape

Every Changing Shape, published in 1961 and now in paperback for the first time, considers from a Christian poet's perspective how religious or mystical experience informs the imagination. Elizabeth Jennings wrote the book early in her career; it continues to provide crucial readings of her chosen authors and clues to her own poetry. She avoids terms like 'inspiration', 'ecstasy', sticking to particulars – words, meanings – rather than ideology or theory. A collection of studies of writers and mystics past and present, it brings literary judgment to bear on a subject neglected in a secular age. Though her first concern is poetry, she draws on prose writers to effect her penetrating explorations.