Poetics of Space- Kate

            The chapter was very readable and lyrical. I loved the excerpts from poetry and Henri Bosco’s L’Antiquaire. I feel like Bachelard transforms the idea of a house from an inanimate building to a kind of benevolent character. I agree with his idea that we all have a connection to the primitive shelter, which probably goes back eons (p.4). The part about the childhood home as a place for daydreaming really spoke to me. As an only child I spent ages dreaming and writing little stories and creating epic scenarios for my dolls. I agree with his idea of letting a child experience boredom in order to nurture creativity (p. 16).

            A lot of Bachelard’s imagery about the house is very womb-like. He seems to have a personal attachment to his childhood home that I would personally more associate with the people in my family than in the house we lived. I loved the part where he talks about smelling the drying fruit, and how we all have a somewhat indescribable memory or connection to the spaces we know intimately. Everything he says about the cellar as the dark, frightening underbelly of the house is spot-on. My favorite section is where he quotes Bosco on page 25, because not only does it fit in perfectly with his “stone plant” metaphor, it is a gorgeous passage that I would have never otherwise stumbled upon.