--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry is that magic which consists in…" description: "\"Poetry is that magic which consists in awakening sensations with the help of a combination of sounds ... that sorcery by which ideas are necessarily co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/john-banville-2532_art_poetry-is-that-magic-which-consists-in-a_1234992.jpg" --- # Poetry is that magic which consists in awakening… ![“Poetry is that magic which consists in awakening sensations with the help of a combination of sounds ... that sorcery by which ideas are necessarily communicated to us, in a definite way, by words which nevertheless do not express them.” quote by John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/john-banville-2532_art_poetry-is-that-magic-which-consists-in-a_1234992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/john-banville-2532_art_poetry-is-that-magic-which-consists-in-a_1234992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/john-banville-2532_art_poetry-is-that-magic-which-consists-in-a_1234992.jpg) > “Poetry is that magic which consists in awakening sensations with the help of a combination of sounds ... that sorcery by which ideas are necessarily communicated to us, in a definite way, by words which nevertheless do not express them.” [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry works like a spell, using sound and rhythm to evoke feelings and convey ideas that words alone cannot fully express. **In simple terms:** Poetry uses sound to bring ideas to life. Key Takeaway Listen to the music of language. Themes poetry language creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - creative writing classes - reading groups Key Concepts aesthetic sensory perception communication Questions to Reflect On - How does sound shape meaning in poetry? - Can poetry convey ideas that prose cannot? A Different Perspective Not all readers experience the intended sensations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Sensations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensations/) [Sorcery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorcery/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [“You, however, will know that this magic consists of 3 words: details, dialogue and conflict.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrii-sedniev/you-however-will-know-that-this-magic-consists-of-3-words-details/) Andrii Sedniev > [Magic consists of creating, by misdirection of the senses, the mental impression of supernatural agency at work. 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The finest fictions are cold at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/art-is-amoral-whether-we-accept-this-or-not-it-does-not-take-sides/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“At thee seaside all is narrow horizontals, the world reduced to a few long straight lines pressed between earth and sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/at-thee-seaside-all-is-narrow-horizontals-the-world-reduced-to-a-few/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“It seems to me a work of art is the evidence offered by a fantastically observant witness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/it-seems-to-me-a-work-of-art-is-the-evidence-offered-by-a/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Everything we do is tinged with the knowledge that this may be the last time that we will do this, and that makes what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/everything-we-do-is-tinged-with-the-knowledge-that-this-may-be-the/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [I like ideas. I find them more exciting than human behavior for the most part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-like-ideas-i-find-them-more-exciting-than-human-behavior-for-the/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) [Explore all 158 John Banville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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