Abstract

The author aims to re-evaluate aspects of creative writing practice that sit “awkwardly” within the context of more analytical discourses in the Humanities. How can making be a form of knowing? He engages with the ideas of Calvino, Canetti, Carson, and Lessing to help identify what the unique “qualities” of writing as a method of thinking and knowing might be, before arguing for the validity of an ancient notion of “metis”. The central thesis is that what is at stake in “multimodality” is more than just technical adaptability, but the opportunity to conceptualise the kinds of versatility central to creative writing practice as a viable research methodology. The article suggests the multimodality of a writing practice might be predicated upon viewing creative practice as a vehicle of thought, a different way of knowing the world, rather than simply being the outcome of thinking done in advance.

Keywords: metis, knowledge, metamorphosis, lightness, poetry, experiential, epistemology, intelligence, mimesis, subterfuge