„Czosnek w blocie i szafiry”. Termin „barok” a poezja angielska

The quotation in the title of this article, from T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, displays the characteristic of sharp contrast associated with the concept of the baroque. It is a characteristic to be found in the work of many English poets, flourishing particularly in the seventeenth century and continuing to this day. Yet British scholars are generally reluctant to make use of the term “baroque” unless in relation to poets with Catholic connections, such as Robert Southwell or Richard Crashaw. The article inquires into the reasons for this reluctance and asks what benefits might be gained from overcoming it. A revaluation of the neglected term “baroque” could help to reveal not only the European connections of English poetry since the Reformation but also its link with the tradition of the English Middle Ages.