The Pleasure of Poetry: Reading and Enjoying British Poetry from Donne to BurnsThe poetry produced by the British poets of the 17th and 18th centuries is considered to be among the best ever written. But many general readers feel intimidated by the language or structure of the poetry, and so tend to shy away from enjoying these poets and their works. Nelson takes readers on a tour of the major works and figures of 17th- and 18th-century British poetry, explaining major themes, devices, styles, language, rhythm, sound, tone, imagery, form, and meaning. Beginning each chapter with a sketch of the poet's life and career, the author then looks at five or six representative works, helping readers understand and appreciate the beauty of poetry itself. From Donne and Jonson, to Pope, Swift, and Burns, the book offers excerpts of the poetry these artists crafted, and carefully examines the various attributes that have helped to establish them as some of the greatest of all time. Writing in clear, accessible language, Nelson also introduces general poetry terms to the novice, providing examples and explanations where necessary. Readers will no longer feel intimidated by difficult poetry. Instead, they will walk away with the tools they need to read, understand, and appreciate these titans of British letters. |
From inside the book
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Page xi
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift , " which are in the Norton Anthology ) , I have relied on Pat Rogers's edition , Jonathan Swift : The Complete Poems ( New Haven , CT : Yale University Press , 1983 ) . For Burns's " John Anderson My Jo ...
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift , " which are in the Norton Anthology ) , I have relied on Pat Rogers's edition , Jonathan Swift : The Complete Poems ( New Haven , CT : Yale University Press , 1983 ) . For Burns's " John Anderson My Jo ...
Page 4
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift , " a poem in which he imagines his own death and the reaction to it among his friends and acquaintances , the poet suggests that he is very jealous of Pope's power as a poet : “ In Pope I cannot read a ...
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift , " a poem in which he imagines his own death and the reaction to it among his friends and acquaintances , the poet suggests that he is very jealous of Pope's power as a poet : “ In Pope I cannot read a ...
Page 10
... verse . Such elements are part of the more tech- nical side of poetry , but certainly add something to the pleasure we receive in reading their work . End rhyme is only one aspect of the music of poetry , though perhaps the most obvious ...
... verse . Such elements are part of the more tech- nical side of poetry , but certainly add something to the pleasure we receive in reading their work . End rhyme is only one aspect of the music of poetry , though perhaps the most obvious ...
Page 11
... verse . A few lines from John Dryden's " Alexander's Feast " ( 1697 ) in which Alexander the Great's musi- cian , Timotheus , proves he can evoke practically any emotion he wants in his audience through his flute playing , will ...
... verse . A few lines from John Dryden's " Alexander's Feast " ( 1697 ) in which Alexander the Great's musi- cian , Timotheus , proves he can evoke practically any emotion he wants in his audience through his flute playing , will ...
Page 12
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift " ( 1739 ) . Here he imagines some of his friends talking just at the point of his passing away ( he had been dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin for many years ) : Behold the fatal day arrive ...
... Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift " ( 1739 ) . Here he imagines some of his friends talking just at the point of his passing away ( he had been dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin for many years ) : Behold the fatal day arrive ...
Contents
| 1 | |
| 19 | |
| 37 | |
Poet of Time Love and Delight | 53 |
Poet and Priest | 67 |
Poet of English Puritanism | 81 |
Pastoral Poet of Time and History | 107 |
Poet of the Restoration | 125 |
Satirist and Moralist | 161 |
Moralist and Satirist | 183 |
Finch Gray Goldsmith and Cowper | 201 |
Singer Satirist and Storyteller | 225 |
Epilogue | 247 |
Further Reading | 249 |
Index | 257 |
Satirist Preacher and Lover | 143 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alexander Pope alliteration Andrew Marvell beauty begins Belinda Ben Jonson Burns called celebrate Church classical clearly contrast Cowper Cromwell death describes despite divine Donne Donne’s dramatic Dryden end-stopped England English epic especially evokes faith fate feelings final flowers God's Goldsmith Gray heaven Herbert heroic couplet Herrick hope human iambic iambic pentameter iambic tetrameter ideas images imagination John John Donne John Dryden John Milton Jonathan Swift Jonson kind king language lines live London Lord Marvell Milton moral nature Oliver Goldsmith Paradise Paradise Lost passage passion play pleasure poem poet poet's poetic poetry political Pope Pope's portrait praise published readers religious rhyme Robert Herrick Samson Samuel Johnson Satan satire says scene seems sense serious sins song sonnet soul sound speaker stanza stressed suggests Swift syllables thee themes thou traditional verse voice words writing wrote young