The function of animal imagery in Edwin Muir poet

Abstract EN

Modern poetry abounds in animal imagery which serves as a functional element in the modern poem.

The imagery is so varied that one can distinguish what features of these images could be ascribed to a certain poet.

Few poets have distinguished themselves or rather better known for their use of animal imagery namely Edwin Muir.

Animals are at times even superior to man and given a credit of keeping " the spark of divinity" if one can use a neo-platonic metaphor.

Muir pushes things to extremes by adopting a Romantic view which holds that modern chaos is ascribable to the loss of the link between man and nature and notably animals as an intrinsic aspect of that nature.

The paper probes into the meanings of how these animal images are employed by the poet and how they function according to his philosophy.