Why can we become so engrossed in a book while reading that we forget the world around us? Why do rhymes stick in our heads for a lifetime, and why do metaphors sometimes strike us like lightning? Raoul Schrott has explored the latest findings in biology and science in search of the secret of poetry. Together with Arthur Jacobs, he demonstrates how fundamental literary devices can reveal neural processes. Through numerous examples from various eras, he shows us how we think, why we think the way we do, and how poetry emerges from this.