mind is he referring to: the power of reason or the power of the imagination? Shelley: Both, but Kant's emphasis was upon the power of the imagination. He believed that 'the mind of man becomes the creative interpreter of nature and society: the will of man may master destiny and achieve true freedom for men.' Myself: So, the chief powers of the mind are those of reason and imagination, with imagination being a precursor to reason. Shelley: Correct. Myself: What exactly are we talking about when we speak of "reason" and of "imagination"? Shelley: Reason involves 'the mind contemplating the relations borne by one thought to another.' Imagination is 'the mind acting upon thoughts so as to color them with its own light, and composing from them, as from elements, other thoughts, each containing within itself the principle of its own integrity.' Myself: Why does imagination precede reason? Shelley: In order to answer that question and your question concerning whether or not a romantic belief in the power of the imagination is realistic in the twentieth century, we must turn to the contents of my essay. Just consider the title to be "A Defence of Art" instead of "A Defence of Poetry," and substitute the word "art" for "poetry" whenever poetry is spoken about in a general sense. Myself: You're making a defence of poetry into a defence of art in general and by so doing, you defend the power of the imagination. How are all of these related? Shelley: The preeminent relationship is that 'art is the expression of the imagination.' Myself: Isn't the imagination expressed in modern art? Shelley: Yes, but the power of the imagination is not used in its fullest purity and force. All art forms, philosophies, religions, sciences, and social sciences should combine together 'to produce a common effect in the representation of the highest idealisms of passion and power.' Myself: That's the problem though; this is not an idealistic society. How can this society deal with anything having to do with 'idealisms of passion and power'? Shelley: Your society must reassess the value of idealism! A romantic belief in the power of the imagination is vital to modern man because it is the power that welds the real and the ideal together. Several German philosophers of my era knew that 'the real and the ideal may be made one through goodness and beauty; art by carrying out the ideal that men imagine may bring them deliverance.' Myself: What are the deficiencies which prevent us from eternal progression? Shelley: You consider religion to be something more than allegory, you consider reason to be something more than a pattern of thought, you consider material to be something more than a means, you consider science to be something more than a small element of reality, a subordinate of art. You believe that power is truth, that majority is truth, that that necessity is truth, that tradition is truth, and that order is truth. You are fragmented individuals who are unable to realize that the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Social Revolution, and all the other revolutions that have occurred in the last two hundred years have created inhibitory factors that are halting man's evolution. Myself: Then how do we overcome the burden of all these influences that are so devastating to our progression? Shelley: By using the goodness and beauty found in art to join what is ideal with what is real. Myself: We are encountering the problem of a definition of terms. What is "goodness" and what is "beauty"? Shelley: 'The great secret of goodness is love: or a going out of our nature, and an identification of ourselves with the beautiful which exists in thought, action, or person, not our own. A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively: he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own.' Myself: Previously you spoke of transferring the authority for knowledge from the world without to the world within and now you are saying that we should identify ourselves with the beauty of the world outside of ourselves. Shelley: And you should also identify with the beauty of individuals, and with the beauty of their thoughts and actions. There is no contradiction in claiming both tenets. The authority for knowledge must come from within, but in order to change the world, you must identify with the beautiful elements of the world. Myself: Which brings us to a definition of beauty. Shelley: Beauty is the quality that gives pleasure to the senses and exalts the mind or spirit. It is 'the relation between the highest pleasure and its 18 cause.' Man obsessively searches for that thing which causes his most profound pleasure. The fault of modern man is that his most profound pleasures are ineffective prerequisites for divinity. Once again I must return to a discussion of the fragmentation of man in the twentieth century, especially in complex, industrial societies. Persons in these societies have no consistent reservoir of strength which will supply them with faith in themselves and hope for their species. Thus, the relationship of the highest pleasure and its cause is lost in a maze of directionless and haphazard thought patterns. The modern art forms are a reflection of this maze and the time has come for this to change. Art forms must become the harbinger of man's eternal progression and a declaration of his divinity, instead of being a reflector of his decay. Myself: Your words are so acute and your ideas are so piercing that I have trouble comprehending all that you are trying to communicate to me. I feel myself growing weak from questioning you. What else do you have to say to me? Shelley: That you should use your imagination with every fiber of strength that you possess. Be optimistic. Journey deep inside of yourself. Recognize that duality of life. Search for beautiful people, beautiful thoughts, and beautiful actions. Be filled with love. Create art forms that carry out the ideal which you imagine. Use the power of the imagination to transform the ideal into concrete reality. I plead with you to understand my true thoughts, which far exceed the boundaries of our language. Myself: I hear you with my spirit, for here you see it standing naked before you. I am drained of all energy. Have you anything else to tell me? Shelley: The things which I say to you, I say to all people. Act upon your understanding. Humanity is in great danger and there is much sadness. You must return now, go in peace. 1 returned through the darkness and was, once again, lying on my bed. The conversation with Shelley was fixed in my mind. I deliberately recorded the conversation and then considered for several days whether or not I should tell anyone that I had spoken to Shelley. There is no doubt in my mind that I spoke to Shelley and that he spoke to me, and his message to twentieth century society is significant. Therefore, I humbly submit this manuscript to my brothers and sisters. BIBLIOGRAPHY Shelley quoted passages from the Introductory Survey of Noyes', English Romantic Poetry and Prose (quotations marked by an asterisk) and also passages from his own essay, "A Defence of Poetry" (quotations left unmarked). Lana Hubbard UNDER THE STREETLAMP by Anne Andrews It is but once I gaze upon a shallow Moon. The night breath caresses my warmth. In loneliness I wait For one to keep me. Upon my lips a seal with no one meeting. Words in my mind wander to be heard, In moods as changing as my heart. I often die. Each day I live towards it. In violence I share truth, but submerging I go. 19