Reading Romantic poetry /

Stafford (Univ. of Oxford, UK) provides an excellent, well-written resource for those interested in Romantic poetry. She examines the poetry of the greats of British Romanticism--Cowper, Burns, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Blake--and includes analyses and interpretations of the work of less-known poets of the era: Hannah More, Charlotte Smith, Anna Barbauld, and many others. Writers in early-19th-century Britain were not shy about turning out thousands of works in the form of poetry. The chapters include "The Pleasures of Poetry," "Solitude and Sociability," "Common Concerns and Cultural Connection," "Traditions and Transformations: Poets as Readers," "Reading or Listening? Romantic Voices," "Sweet Sounds," and "Poems on Pages." Although Romantic poetry has been closely examined for nearly 200 years, Stafford brings a new sensibility and fresh eye to the subject. To understand the milieu of the period between 1770 and 1830, one must understand the cultural changes that swept the British Isles, the history of the time, the publishing going on in England at the time, and the backgrounds of the writers who created the poetry. With her keen understanding, Stafford adds to the literature this important period of British literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. J. Coghill East Carolina University