00100--Discuss I.A. Richards' theory of Poetic Communication.

Poetic communication, for Richards, is an implied, not vocal, dialogue between the poet and the reader.  He says, "The arts are the supreme form of the communicative activity, since any attempt to harness psychology to the service of criticism is bound to insist upon poetry as a strictly analysable human activity".  However, communication is not the primary function of the poet.  Communication of his experience is no part of the poet's work.  Eliot says, "Communication is an irrelevant or at  best a minor issue, and that what he is making is something which is beautiful in itself, or satisfying to him personally, or something expressive of his emotions, or of himself, something personal and individual.  That other people are going to study it, and to receive experiences from it may seem to him a merely accidental, in essential circumstance".  But this conscious neglect of communication does not in the least diminish the importance of the communicative power.

            The extent to which his work accords with his experience  can be known only by the extent to which it arouses not been accurately embodied in the work.  To that extent the poet has failed in his mission.  Man being accustomed to communication from infancy, each experience of his takes a communicative form.  Eliot says, "the emphasis which natural selection has put upon communicative ability is overwhelming".  The poet uses 'emotive language' i.e, language of emotions, and communicates his experiences 'with his heart on fire'.  Thus communication is inseparable from his poetic experience.