Apprehending Beauty: Ordinary People’s Experiences of the “Poetic Instant” in India

Abstract

Poetics has long been considered the preserve of the extraordinary person, one gifted enough to transcend everyday existence through his or her imagination. In its most limited sense, poetry is language in verse, and in its broadest, an approach to life itself. In this chapter, we will be using the latter meaning, exploring “poetic instants”, moments where words can fail to provide adequate expression to emotions through interviews with participants from India, mostly living in New Delhi. The findings of the survey indicate that cultural meanings, personal drive, interpersonal affiliation and life-course significance were common ingredients of emotional arousal which heightened particular experiences for people. Through this meaning-making, specific events were encapsulated in lived time, but they also stood outside of it, illustrating the subjective dimension of temporality.