39 pages 1 hour read

Gaston Bachelard

The Poetics of Space

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1957

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Bachelard warns against utilizing psychoanalysis or psychology to examine the poetic image. He says to do so is to place limitations upon imaginative thought. Do you agree with his assertion? Can creative thought be separated from a person’s past? Why or why not?

2.

Explore the idea of logos, or divine expression. What could the word “divine” mean in this context? How does the ability to create and express that creation connects separate humans from other forms of life, or does it?

3.

Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space has resonated with diverse types of people in many different living situations. What draws people from various backgrounds to the book? How can the book be used to interpret all types of spaces? Is its vision of the childhood home relevant to those whose memories are not positive ones?