Review by Choice Review
A reader can find no better way to get to know and appreciate a poem, be it familiar or not, than through fine and scrupulous analysis. That is what Jacobs (Wheaton College, Illinois) delivers in this edition of W. H. Auden's highly allusive book-length poem. Elegantly printed, the book is graced by Jacobs's essay-length introduction, which traces the poem's evolution from the time Auden moved from Europe to the US in 1939 to its publication both in Britain (1947) and the US (1948). Composed in a modern version of Anglo Saxon alliterative verse, the poem is set in a wartime pub in New York City. Four distinct characters--Quant, Malin, Rosetta, and Emble--speak their dramatic parts and develop the poet's themes. As the introduction points out, Auden had a lifelong interest in psychotherapy and geopolitical matters, and these provide metaphors and images for these character's speeches. Jacobs also provides relevant biographical, social, and political context for this most demanding of poems. The book appears in the "W.H. Auden: Critical Editions" series and is enriched by 40-plus pages of insightful textual notes. The Age of Anxiety earned Auden a Pulitzer (1948); this current manifestation deserves a prize of its own. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. B. Wallenstein emeritus, CUNY City College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
