Chapter 1
“Warmth of thought” in Walter Nash’s prose and verse
This chapter explores the means through which Walter Nash engages
readers of his prose and verse, centring on the concept of “warmth of
thought”, which derives from Quintilian. Discussion of the poetry stresses
the significance of the word “heart”, especially in personal and religious
contexts – and in translation of Horace as representative of the secular
tradition. It shows how the resources of verse are adapted by Nash as a
poet, at once confessional and broadly empathetic, and how he explores the
uses and resources of prose, in a whole range of genres, as seen in his
publications beginning with Designs in Prose. Throughout,
“warmth of thought” is a dominant characteristic as he enlightens,
encourages and entertains both readers and prospective writers.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The poetry
- 3.The prose
- 4.
Calor cogitationis in action
-
References
References
Brown, C.
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Butler, H. E.
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Carter, R. A. & Nash, W.
1990 Seeing through Language. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cockcroft, R.
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Cockcroft, R. & Cockcroft, S. M. (with Hamilton, C. & Hidalgo Downing, L.
2015 Persuading People: An Introduction to Rhetoric, 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Fairclough, H. R
(ed and trans)
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Michie, J.
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Nash, W.
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Nash, W.
1997 Nobis Natus. Nondum Print.

Nash, W.
1998a Hesperides. Nondum Print.

Nash, W.
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Nash, W.
1998c Language and Creative Illusion. London: Longman.

Nash, W.
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2003 The Pearshaped Summer. Shrewsbury: Feather Books.

Nash, W.
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2007a In Good Faith: Devotional Poems. Shrewsbury: Feather Books.

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2009a Memorabilia: Poems from Time to Time. St Leonards-on-Sea: Beyond the Cloister.

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2009b Recent Intelligence: A Sonnet Cycle. St. Leonards-on-Sea: Beyond the Cloister.

Robbins, R. H.
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Quintilian
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Sprague, A. C.
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Stockwell, P.
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Thurber, J.
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The dog that bit people. In
My Life and Hard Times. New York and London: Harper and Brothers.

Cited by
Cited by 1 other publications
Statham, Simon
2020.
The year’s work in stylistics 2019.
Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics 29:4
► pp. 454 ff.

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