This Volume Argues That Aphorism Represents A Tool For The Social Management Of Emotion. Rhetorically Corralled Into A Slick, Collectable Shape, The Aphorism Promises Arresting And Instantaneous Epiphany. However, The Accomplished Elegance Which Positions The Aphorism's Message As Self-evidently True In Fact Works To Repel Further Enquiry, And Ultimately Ensures That It Will Be Forgotten Or Bypassed In Favour Of Another Aphorism: No Less Eagerly Embraced For The Earlier Disappointment. Aphorism, Therefore, Is A Form In Which Dangerous Ideas And Emotions Can Be Safely Displayed And Effaced. Because Aphorism's Style Defuses The Imperative To Act On What Is Clearly Known, Writers Like Stevie Smith Can Use The Form To Stage A Withdrawal From The Burden Of Making An Impact On The World. This Book Finds That Smith's Use Of Aphorism And Its Related Forms Offers A Route Into Her Texts. Noreen Masud. Also Issued In Print: 2022. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.