ABSTRACT
The aim in this chapter is to examine ‘Antarctic’ poetry, and inspired elegant prose in various aspects. While the coverage is not comprehensive, its time span is considerable, specifically from the second voyage of Captain Cook (1772-5) to the death of Captain Scott (1912). Also the range and quality of the literature considered is broad. Initially some of the literature cited and written by Antarctic explorers with reference to their environment is examined. The biographies of Antarctic explorers are replete with citations from poetry of quality. Some explorers themselves felt the creative spirit, and were inspired to compose odes, poems, and prose to portray their experiences of ice and loneliness, two dominant features of their livedworld. This sets the stage and these two phenomena form a unifying element.
