Imagination is often truer than fact," said Gwendolen, decisively, though she could no more have explained these glib words than if they had been Coptic or Etruscan. "I shall be so glad to learn all about Tasso-and his madness especially. I suppose poets are always a little mad." "To be sure-'the poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling'; and somebody says of Marlowe- 'For that fine madness still he did maintain, Which always should possess the poet's brain.'" "But it was not always found out, was it?" said Gwendolen innocently. "I suppose some of them rolled their eyes in private. Mad people are often very cunning.
In George Eliot's "Daniel Deronda," Gwendolen expresses a belief that imagination can hold deeper truths than reality itself. She reflects on the nature of poets, suggesting that those who create art often possess a certain madness, which adds to their creativity. This idea highlights a romantic view of poets, indicating that their emotional depth can lead to profound insights, though it can also be seen as madness.
Gwendolen's musings reveal a certain innocence as she wonders whether the madness of poets is always recognized. She suggests that some may hide their eccentricities while still engaging in cunning behavior, indicating her curiosity about the relationship between creativity and mental state. This exploration of the connection between imagination and perceived madness invites deeper contemplation about the complexities of artistic genius.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
