Literary studies: poetry and poets Books

Book SynopsisPoetry not only as a sign of faith(fulness) or call for loyalty, but a constructor thereof in its own right.

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Book SynopsisAmerican ecopoetries of migration explore the conflicted relationships of mobile subjects to the nonhuman world and can thus offer valuable environmental insight for our current age of mass mobility and global ecological crisis. Judith Rauscher analyses the works of five contemporary American poets of migration, drawing from ecocriticism and mobility studies. The poets discussed in this study challenge exclusionary notions of place-attachment, testifying to the potential of poetry as a means of conceptualizing alternative environmental imaginaries for our contemporary world on the move.

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Book SynopsisChristina Rossetti's poetry and prose, written in 19th-century England, deals with the human fixation on appearance. Her belief in the Tractarian precepts of the Oxford Movement, primarily expostulated by John Keble and John Newman, transformed Rossetti's outlook on perception. Her association with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood also influenced her obsession with sight and insight. The focus of Melanie Hanson's study is the re-envisionment of Christina Rossetti's poetry and prose from three theoretical perspectives: deconstructionist theory, feminist literary theory, and Marxist literary criticism. The first part of her book explores Christina Rossetti's fascination with Plato's eye of the mind in The Allegory of the Cave. Rossetti believed that the physical eyes must be shut so that the eye of the mind could be wide open, creating in-sight. She connected the eye of the mind to her Tractarian religious beliefs. In her writings, the 'eye of the mind also relates to Eastern religious philosophy. The 'eye of the mind sees an alternate perception of reality. Rossetti was not only obsessed with the gaze and the object of the gaze in her writing, but she also re-fashioned John Milton's Eve from Paradise Lost into her own vision of Eve and the creation cycle in Rossetti's poetry and prose. Part 2 asserts that the author, Melanie Hanson, believes Rossetti's re-envisionment of the figure of Eve in Rossetti's writing contributes to the emergence of feminist literary criticism in the 20th century. Although Christina Rossetti was not a feminist, her poetry and prose have been examined by post-modern feminists concerning psychoanalytic and historic issues. Rossetti's envisionment of the consumed consumer is the subject of part 3, in which Marxist literary theory is used to examine Rossetti's epic poem Goblin Market. Previous literary criticism discussions concerning Rossetti's poetic and prose observations on the eye lack a concentrated examination of Rossetti's interest in Plato, especially Plato's eye of the mind, and Plato's influence on Rossetti. Hanson's book addresses this ground-breaking area of study. Her book is aimed at Christina Rossetti scholars and English Victorian literature aficionados who wish to explore Rossetti's contribution to the literary canon from new angles in literary criticism.

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Book SynopsisTo the older generations in her native Slovakia, Hana Ponická is well-known for her successful children's books and courageous fight against the communist regime. Her psychological ordeal began in February 1977 when the elderly lady refused to sign the so-called anticharta, a condemnation of the human rights group Charter 77, which had published its first manifesto in the West on 1 January 1977. All Slovak and Czech artists had to sign the anticharta; they were forced by the regime to condemn the dissidents, the most prominent among them being Václav Havel (1936–2011), who were standing up against the violation of basic human rights enshrined in the Czechoslovak constitution following the conclusion of the CSCE treaty of Helsinki. Ponická, like most of her fellow artists, had neither read the Charter 77 manifesto nor the text of the anticharta; she thus refused to sign. Her courage prompted the regime to terrorize her psychologically. This political biography is the first ever written about Ponická, despite her being a household name in Slovakia. Josette Baer's analysis is based on Ponická's memoirs of that cruel year of 1977, newspaper articles she published prior to 1971, when the regime effectively banned any critical voice from publication, and newspaper articles she published after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 to promote the establishing of a rule-of-law state and democracy. The documents of the StB, the Slovak and Czech Security Services, are analyzed for the first time; they are evidence of how the StB tried to pressure the resilient and disciplined grandmother of three into obedience. Oral history interviews with Dirk Matthias Dalberg, Vlasta Jaksicsová, and Mary Šamal inform the reader about the situation of the Slovak dissidents of Charter 77, how normal citizens lived in the regime, and how the Czech and Slovak exile communities in the USA saw the dissidents in Communist Czechoslovakia.

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Book SynopsisAn essential book for a deeper understanding of Ottoman social and political life

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Book SynopsisThe book is the story of a tragic love affair. Rilke who has devoted his whole life to being a poet has hit a creative block. Despondent, he is on the verge of leaving Switzerland when he meets Elisabeth Klossowska in 1920. She becomes his lover and muse and finds a tower for him to complete his great poems, the Duino Elegies. He dies six years later at the age of 50 from leukaemia. "Farrol Kahn's superb novel...lends the subject a truly Proustian perspective..It stirs and sustains the reader's involvement throughout...The animation of Rilke...is carried out brilliantly." Ralph Freedman. Author of definitive biography - Life of a Poet:Rainer Maria Rilke. "I've read the excerpt and I must say: absolutely brilliant!" Oskar Freysinger, Swiss writer

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Book SynopsisAn epic, poetic evocation of the creation of an entire universe, predating Milton's work on the same theme by several billion years. A homage to the natural energy which sustain life and is the only divinity at work.

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Book SynopsisA poetic and sensitive work that presents an allegorical path to selfawareness. The protagonist, exiled from his land and undergoing hunger and deprivation, creates a dialogue with his inner self to achieve enlightenment. Through him the reader gains an insight into the great realities of life.

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Book SynopsisA one act play in verse. A novel perspective in to the man-woman relatioship. A soliloquy revolving around matters humans associated themselves with, both profound and iname.

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Book SynopsisTagore's human prayer embraces the beauty of the world, fostering a sense of connection and compassion with all living beings. It emphasizes that man is never truly alone, finding solace and joy in the shared experiences of life with others.

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Book SynopsisVergil's pastoral poems -- Bucolica -- are not only some of the most prodigious from the Roman Antiquity to have survived, they are also the most elaborate. In this book Sven Lindahl interprets them in relation to the political situation of their context and points out a subtle 'architectural structure' in the collection. Shortly after young Vergil had written his pastorals, his friend Horace wrote his Epodes and in these poems, Lindahl sees a cunning dialogue with Vergil's work.

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Book SynopsisGulzar is a renowned Indian poet known for his ability to convey profound thoughts in an accessible manner. Saba Bashir explores what sets Gulzar apart in her book "I Swallowed the Moon." Gulzar's poetry resonates with a wide audience, blending literary excellence with popular appeal.

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Book Synopsis“Bethea’s book conveys the story of an amazingly ambitious attempt to preserve the humanities while also saving the future of disadvantaged high school students in Chicago. … Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review)The Pushkin Project tells the story of how a Russian studies professor changes course late in his career by reeducating himself in evolutionary thought and founding a summer institute that partners with inner-city high schools to implement a new set of learning strategies for underserved youth.These “cognitive cross-training” strategies involve introducing students from Hispanic and Black neighborhoods in the west and south sides of Chicago to the Russian culture and language, with an emphasis on poet, playwright, and novelist Alexander Pushkin. Through the lens of modern evolutionary thought, students adopt not only a new and different language and culture, but also a different sort of literary hero, one whose African heritage within the majority culture speaks to them directly. This inspiring and compelling story provides fascinating insights into Russia's national poet, brings the sciences and humanities together, and provides new directions in teaching young people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.Trade Review“The Pushkin Project is both an inspiring memoir of Bethea’s work building an educational program for children from underprivileged communities and a remarkable essay on literature and evolutionary thought. At the center of it all are Bethea’s captivating readings of Pushkin’s classic works, in the form of lesson plans that will be useful to educators in any high school or university. Written in an engaging manner, probing deep questions of cultural history and educational philosophy, this is a book that effortlessly and gracefully appeals to multiple audiences.”— Kevin M. F. Platt, Professor of Comparative Literature and Russian and East European Studies, The University of Pennsylvania“A brilliant, multifaceted, and completely original book about how a distinguished professor of Russian literature decided to retool his pedagogy in accordance with the latest findings in evolutionary and cognitive science to teach Russian language and literature to underserved, minority, inner-city high school students. Bethea’s generous goal was to allow them to have the same powerful, life-altering experience he did when he learned Russian—a language with which he had been completely unfamiliar—and discovered that it revealed a new world and ‘added a different gear’ to his brain. In light of today’s debates about ‘cultural appropriation,’ the decade-long success of Bethea’s initiative is especially noteworthy because it demonstrates the necessity of deep engagement with cultural alterity to achieve optimal personal growth. Part memoir, part bridge between Snow’s ‘two cultures,’ part paean to the enduring genius of Russia’s national writer, Alexander Pushkin, this is an essential book for our times.”— Vladimir Alexandrov, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University“A fascinating account of how, in teaching Pushkin, one might also teach students to think about citizenship, risk, evolutionary neuroscience, and language itself. Exemplary readings of major texts are embedded in this book, which is pedagogical in multiple ways. I envy David Bethea the chance to have learned so much from students in the Pushkin Project.”— Stephanie Sandler, Harvard University“This book is testimony to an astonishing hybrid. On one side Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s foundational poet of genius and an octoroon; on the other, an American professor and born teacher who devotes a decade of his life to making Russian culture inspirational for young people from minority backgrounds. Prompted by creative visions as vast as those of Charles Darwin and Iain McGilchrist, all the while urging us on with his trademark faith in ‘co-evolutionary spirals’ that pit literature against despair, David Bethea, in this very bad time for our Russian brand, has given us a moving memoir of poetry, sociobiology, civic conscience, and pastoral care.”— Caryl Emerson, Princeton University“David Bethea has combined his love of Pushkin and the Russian language with his knowledge of evolutionary biology and his deep reading in other areas to devise an educational project unlike any other. The Pushkin project is unique and is dedicated to helping Black and Brown teenagers learn about another language, another culture, and a different way of seeing the world. I highly recommend it.”— Henry L. Roediger, III Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning“Such a lucid and immersive narrative about a most improbable and imaginative project! I learned so much about Pushkin and inner-city culture, and the evolutionary drumbeat resonated throughout. Bravo to David Bethea, his adventurous students, and their fascinating encounters with poetry and transcendence.”— Ursula Goodenough, Washington University; author of The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved“This book is the best news for the field. It mixes eye-opening readings of Pushkin through the lens of evolutionary biology with something that is constantly, but I dare say especially currently, much in demand: a sense of purpose. In engaging and subtle prose, Bethea tells the story of the experience teaching Pushkin to students from Black and Brown communities, and in doing so, reminds us that the opportunity to turn our studies into something meaningful—not just for us but also for the people around us—is always at hand.”— Daria Khitrova, Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Origins2. PSI: Implementation3. “The Shot”: Role-Playing with Loaded Pistols4. “The Stationmaster”: Morality Meets Sexual Selection5. The Blackamoor of Peter the Great: Identity, Creativity, Homecoming6. “The Queen of Spades”: Risk, Reward, Gaming LifeAfterword: The Students RespondAppendix: The PSI QuestionnaireWorks CitedEndnotes

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Book Synopsis“Bethea’s book conveys the story of an amazingly ambitious attempt to preserve the humanities while also saving the future of disadvantaged high school students in Chicago. … Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review)The Pushkin Project tells the story of how a Russian studies professor changes course late in his career by reeducating himself in evolutionary thought and founding a summer institute that partners with inner-city high schools to implement a new set of learning strategies for underserved youth.These “cognitive cross-training” strategies involve introducing students from Hispanic and Black neighborhoods in the west and south sides of Chicago to the Russian culture and language, with an emphasis on poet, playwright, and novelist Alexander Pushkin. Through the lens of modern evolutionary thought, students adopt not only a new and different language and culture, but also a different sort of literary hero, one whose African heritage within the majority culture speaks to them directly. This inspiring and compelling story provides fascinating insights into Russia's national poet, brings the sciences and humanities together, and provides new directions in teaching young people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.Trade Review“The Pushkin Project is both an inspiring memoir of Bethea’s work building an educational program for children from underprivileged communities and a remarkable essay on literature and evolutionary thought. At the center of it all are Bethea’s captivating readings of Pushkin’s classic works, in the form of lesson plans that will be useful to educators in any high school or university. Written in an engaging manner, probing deep questions of cultural history and educational philosophy, this is a book that effortlessly and gracefully appeals to multiple audiences.” — Kevin M. F. Platt, Professor of Comparative Literature and Russian and East European Studies, The University of Pennsylvania “A brilliant, multifaceted, and completely original book about how a distinguished professor of Russian literature decided to retool his pedagogy in accordance with the latest findings in evolutionary and cognitive science to teach Russian language and literature to underserved, minority, inner-city high school students. Bethea’s generous goal was to allow them to have the same powerful, life-altering experience he did when he learned Russian—a language with which he had been completely unfamiliar—and discovered that it revealed a new world and ‘added a different gear’ to his brain. In light of today’s debates about ‘cultural appropriation,’ the decade-long success of Bethea’s initiative is especially noteworthy because it demonstrates the necessity of deep engagement with cultural alterity to achieve optimal personal growth. Part memoir, part bridge between Snow’s ‘two cultures,’ part paean to the enduring genius of Russia’s national writer, Alexander Pushkin, this is an essential book for our times.” — Vladimir Alexandrov, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University “A fascinating account of how, in teaching Pushkin, one might also teach students to think about citizenship, risk, evolutionary neuroscience, and language itself. Exemplary readings of major texts are embedded in this book, which is pedagogical in multiple ways. I envy David Bethea the chance to have learned so much from students in the Pushkin Project.” — Stephanie Sandler, Harvard University “This book is testimony to an astonishing hybrid. On one side Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s foundational poet of genius and an octoroon; on the other, an American professor and born teacher who devotes a decade of his life to making Russian culture inspirational for young people from minority backgrounds. Prompted by creative visions as vast as those of Charles Darwin and Iain McGilchrist, all the while urging us on with his trademark faith in ‘co-evolutionary spirals’ that pit literature against despair, David Bethea, in this very bad time for our Russian brand, has given us a moving memoir of poetry, sociobiology, civic conscience, and pastoral care.” — Caryl Emerson, Princeton University “David Bethea has combined his love of Pushkin and the Russian language with his knowledge of evolutionary biology and his deep reading in other areas to devise an educational project unlike any other. The Pushkin project is unique and is dedicated to helping Black and Brown teenagers learn about another language, another culture, and a different way of seeing the world. I highly recommend it.” — Henry L. Roediger, III Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning “Such a lucid and immersive narrative about a most improbable and imaginative project! I learned so much about Pushkin and inner-city culture, and the evolutionary drumbeat resonated throughout. Bravo to David Bethea, his adventurous students, and their fascinating encounters with poetry and transcendence.” — Ursula Goodenough, Washington University; author of The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved “This book is the best news for the field. It mixes eye-opening readings of Pushkin through the lens of evolutionary biology with something that is constantly, but I dare say especially currently, much in demand: a sense of purpose. In engaging and subtle prose, Bethea tells the story of the experience teaching Pushkin to students from Black and Brown communities, and in doing so, reminds us that the opportunity to turn our studies into something meaningful—not just for us but also for the people around us—is always at hand.” — Daria Khitrova, Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Origins2. PSI: Implementation3. “The Shot”: Role-Playing with Loaded Pistols4. “The Stationmaster”: Morality Meets Sexual Selection5. The Blackamoor of Peter the Great: Identity, Creativity, Homecoming6. “The Queen of Spades”: Risk, Reward, Gaming LifeAfterword: The Students RespondAppendix: The PSI QuestionnaireWorks CitedEndnotes

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Book SynopsisThis volume, edited and with a superb introduction by W.H. Auden and Norman Holmes Pearson, presents the greatest of the Romantics in all the fullness and ardor of their vision, including William Blake, Robert Burns, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Edgar Allan Poe. What emerges is a panoramic view of a generation of artists struggling to remake the world in their own image—and miraculously succeeding.Table of ContentsThe Portable Romantic PoetsIntroductionGeneral PrinciplesA Calendar of British and American PoetryWilliam Blake (1757-1827)Song: Memory hither comeMad SongSong: How sweet I roam'd from field to fieldTo SpringFrom Songs of Innocence:Introduction: Piping down the valleys wildThe Little Black BoyThe Divine ImageOn Another's SorrowFrom Songs of Experience:Introduction: Hear the voice of the Bard!The TygerA Poison TreeThe Sick RoseAh! Sun-FlowerLondonInfant SorrowThe Human AbstractNever seek to tell thy loveMock on, Mock on, Voltaire, RousseauThe Mental TravellerThe Crystal CabinetAuguries of InnocenceFor the Sexes: The Gates of ParadiseFrom Milton: And did those feet in ancient timeThe Book of ThelRobert Burns (1759-1796) The Jolly Beggars: A CantataAddress to the DeilHoly Willie's PrayerTam Samson's ElegyOpen the Door to Me, Oh!The Poet's Welcome to His Love-begotten DaughterA Red, Red RoseYe flowery banksSimmer's a pleasant timeO whistle, and I'll come to you, my ladIt was a' for our rightfu' kingAe fond kissGeorge Crabbe (1754-1832) From The Village: Village LifeFrom The Borough: Peter GrimesFrom Sir Eustace Grey: Peace, peace, my friendPhilip Freneau (1752-1832) From The House of Night: By some sad meansThe Wild HoneysuckleThe Indian Burying GroundThe Adventures of Simon Swaugum, a Village MerchantFitz-Greene Halleck (1790-1867) On the Death of Joseph Rodman DrakeThe Field of the Grounded ArmsSir Walter Scott (1771-1832) The Eve of Saint JohnFrom Marmion:Song: Where shall the lover restThe BattleFrom The Lady of the Lake:The western waves of ebbing dayBoat SongPibroch of Donuil DhuProud MaisieSamuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) PhantomThe Rime of the Ancient MarinerKubla Khan: or, A Vision in a DreamDejection: An OdeThis Lime-Tree Bower My PrisonFrost at MidnightWilliam Wordsworth (1770-1850) There was a BoyTo H. C.It is a beauteous evening, calm and freeThe world is too much with usComposed upon Westminster BridgeLondon, 1802Where lies the LandRuthResolution and IndependenceThe Affliction of MargaretThree years she grew in sun and showerA slumber did my spirit sealShe was a Phantom of delightStepping WestwardThe Solitary ReaperA ComplaintGreat men have been among usMutabilityLines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern AbbeyOde: Intimations of ImmortalityFrom The Prelude (1850):Introduction - Childhood and School-TimeSummer VacationBooksCambridge and the AlpsResidence in LondonResidence in FranceResidence in France (continued)Imagination and TasteConclusionHartley Coleridge (1796-1849) Long time a child, and still a child, when yearsTo a Deaf and Dumb Little GirlLines -: I have been cherished and forgivenWilliam Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) To a WaterfowlSummer WindThe PrairiesWalter Savage Landor (1775-1864) Lately our poets Rose AylmerIanthe Grateful Acacia!To Our House-Dog CaptainDirceDeath stands above me AgeIzaac Walton, Cotton, and William OldwaysMimnermus incert.Ternissa! You are fled Dull is my verseThomas Moore (1779-1852) The Meeting of the WatersBelieve me, if all those endearing young charmsIll OmensAt the mid hour of nightOft, in the stilly night'Tis the last rose of summerTo ladies' eyesThey may rail at this lifeI wish I was by that dim LakeGeorge Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) So, we'll go no more a rovingShe walks in beautyAnd thou art deadFare thee wellDarknessFrom Childe Harold's Pilgrimage:Lake LemanThe OceanFrom Don Juan:Donna JuliaGulbeyazLady Adeline AmundevillePercy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) Lines Written Among the Euganean HillsFrom Charles the First: A widow birdFrom Prometheus Unbound: Life of lifeOde to the West WindThe CloudHymn of PanTo -: Music, when soft voices dieFrom Hellas: ChorusAdonaisLines: When the lamp is shatteredThe Triumph of LifeGeorge Darley (1795-1846) From Nepenthe: The UnicornThe Mermaidens' Vesper HymnFrom Ethelstan: O'er the wild gannet's bathJohn Keats (1795-1821) On First Looking into Chapman's HomerSonnet: Keen fearful gusts are whisperingTo SleepSonnet: Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou artA Song About MyselfOde to a NightingaleOde on a Grecian UrnOde to PsycheTo AutumnOde on MelancholyFragment of an Ode to MaiaFrom Endymion: Hymn to PanLa Belle Dame Sans MerciThe Eve of St. AgnesFrom Hyperion: Deep in the shady sadness of a valeLeigh Hunt (1784-1859) The Fish, the Man, and the SpiritThomas Hood (1799-1845) Sonnet to VauxhallA Friendly AddressSilence I remember, I rememberThe Sea of DeathOde: AutumnWinthrop Mackworth Praed (1802-1839) From Every Day Characters:The VicarPortrait of a LadyGood-Night to the SeasonJohn Clare (1793-1864) I Am The Ploughboy Birds' LamentEmmonsail's Heath in WinterSchoolboys in Winter BadgerThe Frightened PloughmanGipsies AutumnClock-a-clay (The Ladybird)Secret LoveInvitation to EternityFragment: Language has not the powerRalph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) HamatreyaWater The SnowstormParks and pondsGive all to loveBacchusDaysMerlin: IIOde to BeautyLimits ExperienceThe PastTerminusHenry David Thoreau (1817-1862) The Old Marlborough RoadWhat's the railroad to me?I am a parcel of vain strivings tiedWho sleeps by day and walks by nightI was born upon thy bank, riverOn the Sun Coming Out in the AfternoonThe moon now rises to her absolute ruleTo a Marsh Hawk in Spring Great FriendAt midnight's hour I raised my headAmong the worst of men that ever livedTall AmbrosiaForever in my dream and in my morning thoughtFor though the caves were rabbitedI was made erect and loneTo the MountainsBetween the traveller and the setting sunI'm thankful that my life doth not deceiveWilliam Barnes (1801-1886) Zun-zetThe Clote (Water-Lily)The Wind at the DoorThe Lost Little SisterMy Love's Guardian AngelTo MeTokensThe FallJohn Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) IchabodFor Righteousness' SakeFrom Among the Hills: PreludeThe Dead Feast of the Kol-FolkThe Brewing of SomaJones Very (1813-1880) YourselfThe hand and footThy Brother's BloodThomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849) From Death's Jest-Book:Dirge: If thou wilt ease thine heartSong: Old Adam, the carrion crowEpithalamiaDirge: The swallow leaves her nestFrom Torrismond: How many times do I love thee dearDream-PedlaryEdgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) The City in the SeaThe SleeperThe Valley of UnrestThe Haunted PalaceTo HelenIsrafelFrom childhood's hourIndex of Titles and First LinesBiographical Notes0

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of Modern and Contemporary American Poetry gives readers a cutting-edge introduction to the kaleidoscopic world of American poetry over the last century. Offering a comprehensive approach to the debates that have defined the study of American verse, the twenty-five original essays contained herein take up a wide array of topics: the influence of jazz on the Beats and beyond; European and surrealist influences on style; poetics of the disenfranchised; religion and the national epic; antiwar and dissent poetry; the AIDS epidemic; digital innovations; transnationalism; hip hop; and more. Alongside these topics, major interpretive perspectives such as Marxist, psychoanalytic, disability, queer, and ecocritcal are incorporated. Throughout, the names that have shaped American poetry in the period--Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, Mina Loy, Sterling Brown, Hart Crane, William Carlos Williams, Posey, Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg, John Ashbery, Rae Armantrout,Trade ReviewAssembling thought-provoking essays that encompass a vast range of poetry and poetics, The Oxford Handbook succeeds admirably at offering readers some of the best current approaches to reading modern and contemporary American poetry ... It is hard to envision a volume that would better take account of the present state of criticism and scholarship of American poetry. * Stephen Fredman, Modern Language Review *Table of ContentsList of Contributors ; Part I ; 1. A Century of Innovation: American Poetry from 1900 to the Present ; Cary Nelson ; Part II ; 2. Social Texts and Poetic Texts: Poetry and Cultural Studies ; Rachel Blau DuPlessis ; 3. American Indian Poetry at the Dawn of Modernism ; Robert Dale Parker ; 4. "Jeweled Bindings": Modernist Women's Poetry and the Limits of Sentimentality ; Melissa Girard ; 5. Hired Men and Hired Women: Modern American Poetry and the Labor Problem ; John Marsh ; 6. Economics and Gender in Mina Loy, Lola Ridge, and Marianne Moore ; Linda A. Kinnahan ; 7. Poetry and Rhetoric: Modernism and Beyond ; Peter Nicholls ; 8. Cezanne's Ideal of "Realization": A Useful Analogy for the Spirit of Modernity in American Poetry ; Charles Altieri ; 9. Stepping Out, Sitting In: Modern Poetry's Counterpoint with Jazz and the Blues ; Edward Brunner ; 10. Out With the Crowd: Modern American Poets Speaking to Mass Culture ; Tim Newcomb ; 11. Exquisite Corpse: Surrealist Influence on the American Poetry Scene, 1920-1960 ; Susan Rosenbaum ; 12. Material Concerns: Incidental Poetry, Popular Culture, and Ordinary Readers in Modern America ; Mike Chasar ; 13. "With Ambush and Stratagem": American Poetry in the Age of Pure War ; Philip Metres ; 14. The Fight and the Fiddle in Twentieth-Century African American Poetry ; Karen Jackson Ford ; 15. Asian American Poetry ; Josephine Park ; 16. "The Pardon of Speech": The Psychoanalysis of Modern American Poetry ; Walter Kalaidjian ; 17. American Poetry, Prayer, and the News ; Jahan Ramazani ; 18. The Tranquilized Fifties: Forms of Dissent in Postwar American Poetry ; Michael Thurston ; 19. The End of the End of Poetic Ideology, 1960 ; Al Filreis ; 20. Fieldwork in New American Poetry: From Cosmology to Discourse ; Lytle Shaw ; 21. "Do our chains offend you?": The Poetry of American Political Prisoners ; Mark W. Van Wienen ; 22. Disability Poetics ; Michael Davidson ; 23. Green Reading: Modern and Contemporary American Poetry and Environmental Criticism ; Lynn Keller ; 24. Transnationalism and Diaspora in American Poetry ; Timothy Yu ; 25. "Internationally Known": The Black Arts Movement and U.S. Poetry in the Age of Hip Hop ; James Smethurst ; 26. Minding Machines / Machining Minds: Writing (at) the Human-Machine Interface ; Adalaide Morris ; Index

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Book SynopsisStephen Scully both offers a reading of Hesiod''s Theogony and traces the reception and shadows of this authoritative Greek creation story in Greek and Roman texts up to Milton''s own creation myth, which sought to soar above th'' Aonian Mount [i.e., the Theogony] ... and justify the ways of God to men. Scully also considers the poem in light of Near Eastern creation stories, including the Enûma elish and Genesis, as well as the most striking of modern scientific myths, Freud''s Civilization and its Discontents. Scully reads Hesiod''s poem as a hymn to Zeus and a city-state creation myth, arguing that Olympus is portrayed as an idealized polity and - with but one exception - a place of communal harmony. This reading informs his study of the Theogony''s reception in later writings about polity, discord, and justice. The rich and various story of reception pays particular attention to the long Homeric Hymns, Solon, the Presocratics, Pindar, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and Plato in the Archaic and Classical periods; to the Alexandrian scholars, Callimachus, Euhemerus, and the Stoics in the Hellenistic period; to Ovid, Apollodorus, Lucan, a few Church fathers, and the Neoplatonists in the Roman period. Tracing the poem''s reception in the Byzantine, medieval, and early Renaissance, including Petrarch and Erasmus, the book ends with a lengthy exploration of Milton''s imitations of the poem in Paradise Lost. Scully also compares what he considers Hesiod''s artful interplay of narrative, genealogical lists, and keen use of personified abstractions in the Theogony to Homeric narrative techniques and treatment of epic verse.Trade ReviewScully has long been interested in the polis, as his excellent 1990 study, Homer and the Sacred City, demonstrated, and this new volume about Hesiod's Theogony is, in a sense, an extension of that interest. An equally exciting aspect of this comprehensive study is its clear and full discussion of Hesiod's until-now overlooked literary methods, in which personification reflects psychological reality, or flows from action, and in which common nouns, in their shifting meanings, follow the narrative arc of the poem. * Helaine L. Smith, Semicerchio: Rivista di poesia comparata *The heart of Stephen Scully's book is a masterful inquiry into the place of the Theogony in literary history, in the course of which he makes important observations about the evolution of ancient Greek ideas of the cosmos, divinity, sexuality and gender, justice, and the polis. He prefaces his historical investigations with a careful reading of the poem on its own terms, before looking backward toward its sources and then forward toward the influence it exerted on later texts. Literary analysis and literary history are carefully interwoven, as Scully's initial reading of the poem provides a road map for the historical sections of the book. * Deborah Lyons, American Journal of Philology *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Introduction ; Chapter I: Points of Comparison: Hesiod and Homer; the Theogony and Genesis ; Chapter II: The Theogony ; Chapter III: The Theogony and Eastern Parallels: City-State Succession Myths? ; Chapter IV: The Theogony in the Archaic and Classical periods ; Chapter V: Echoes of the Theogony in the Hellenistic and Roman periods ; Chapter VI: Theogonic shadows: Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance, Milton's Paradise Lost ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisModernism''s Other Work challenges deeply held critical beliefs about the meaning-in particular the political meaning-of modernism''s commitment to the work of art as an object detached from the world. Ranging over works of poetry, fiction, painting, sculpture, and film, it argues that modernism''s core aesthetic problem-the artwork''s status as an object, and a subject''s relation to it-poses fundamental questions of agency, freedom, and politics. With fresh accounts of works by canonical figures such as William Carlos Williams and Marcel Duchamp, and transformative readings of less-studied writers such as William Gaddis and Amiri Baraka, Siraganian reinterprets the relationship between aesthetic autonomy and politics. Through attentive readings, the study reveals how political questions have always been modernism''s critical work, even when writers such as Gertrude Stein and Wyndham Lewis boldly assert the art object''s immunity from the world''s interpretations. Reorienting our undeTrade ReviewIn moving nimbly between modernism and postmodernism, accounting for a politics of aesthetics, and negotiating multiple media, this is modernist criticism at its athletic best. Siraganian's stringent argument for meaning's autonomy not only makes for provocative groupings but can change the way we understand autonomy and what it bequeaths. Moreover, Siraganian writes like the best prosecuting attorney you could hope for-or fear. * Jessica Burstein, University of Washington *Modernism's Other Work represents a real advance in how we read some major writers, and in how we understand their own views of their art. Lisa Siraganian argues that important modernists pursued a vision of art at odds with our assumptions about what they believed. She is a fine guide to artists like Marcel Duchamp, Gertrude Stein, Wyndham Lewis, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Olson, William Carlos Williams, and others. Anyone interested in what modernists did, in what modernists thought, in what their successors can do, about writing and bodies and visual art, will surely learn much from Siraganian's good book." * Stephen Burt, author of Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Theorizing Art and Punctuation: Gertrude Stein's Breathless Poetry ; Satirizing Frameless Art: Wyndham Lewis's Defense of Representation ; Breaking Glass to Save the Frame: William Carlos Williams and Company ; Challenging Kitsch Equality: William Gaddis's and Elizabeth Bishop's "Neo" Rear-Garde Art ; Administering Poetic Breath for the People: Charles Olson and Amiri Baraka ; Coda: Universal Breath

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Book SynopsisProvides a study of one of the oldest and most popular forms of poetry - the sonnet. This book combines a historical overview of the sonnet with detailed analysis to show how the sonnet has achieved its special status and popularity among poets in Britain, Ireland, and America.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The Renaissance; 2. Shakespeare; 3. Milton; 4. The Romantic Revival of the Sonnet; 5. Victorian Sonnet Sequences; 6. The Irish Sonnet; 7. The American Sonnet; 8. The Modern Sonnet; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis new translation, with the French text on the facing pages, captures the tone and rhythm of Rimbaud's language as well as the quality of his thought.Trade Review"Remains the best and most accessible bi-lingual edition of Rimbaud's two central books of poetry. Price is attractive."--Thomas J. Hines, Kent State University "Peschel's translation must stand as the best English version...that has yet been published, and I expect that it will be standard for a long time."--Virginia La Charite, Nineteenth-Century French Studies

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Book SynopsisOne of John Donne's major prose works, Devotions speaks today for the philosophical mind such as it never has before, giving its readers exactly what Donne wished to give them: an understanding of their moral predicament in philosophical adversity.Trade Review`(This edition,) beautifully and scrupulously edited, adds something to our real wealth. The text that Raspa has established must be as close to finality as anything can be ... the erudition of the introduction scarcely to be surpassed.`___The Times Literary Supplement.

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Book SynopsisPhillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was the first black American to publish a book and enjoyed international fame during her short life. Yet despite the considerable achievements of this young poet, her work has never received its critical due. This collection restores her to her proper place in America''s literary heritage. Together with the editor''s essay on ''Phillis Wheatley''s Struggle for Freedom in Her Poetry and Prose'', the collection reveals her to have been a writer who passionately sought freedom, both for herself and for her people, through her work, and who, in her contemplative elegies and use of the poetic imagination to escape an unsatisfactory world, anticipated the Romantic movement of the following century.Trade ReviewWelcome and impressive. * American Literature *

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Book SynopsisAn anthology featuring 130 poets from ten countries and translated from fifteen languages, including Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, German, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovenian, Bulgarian, and Yiddish. Translated by ninety translators it focuses on poetry from the 1960s and 70s.Trade Review"Extremely useful and timely edition."--Joseph Conte, State University of New York at Buffalo "A nice anthology with a wonderful selection of poets."--Lily Phillips, Duke University "Very timely and worthwhile!"--John Felstiner, Stanford University "This is a valuable compilation, especially for the up date section, and should be of compelling interest to any course on poetry, or in courses on Comparative Literature, European Studies, Humanities, etc., in which all readings are in English. . . . This anthology opens a world unknown to most of us, but well worth looking into, for reasons both literary and cultural."--Murray Sachs, Brandeis University "An indispensable text for students in translation and creative writing programs; offers a unique and inviting introduction to the poetry of the region."--Seymour Mayne, University of Ottawa "A praiseworthy attempt to mount a travelling exhibition of East European Poetry....This anthology offers exciting glimpses of poetic worlds still to be fully mapped."--The Times Literary Supplement "Though a very few East European poets, like Czeslaw Milosz and Zbigniew Herbert of Poland, hjave come to international attention, even the most proficient and prolific have reputations largely restricted, by language as much as politics, to their own countries. All the more welcome, then, is this very large representation of 130 poets from 10 Eastern bloc countries writing in 15 languages....In making this fresh compilation, Professor George has been aided by several expert consultants, and the validity of the translations is confirmed by the many very distinguished names among the 90 who rendered these diverse tongues into English."--Booklist "This ambitious anthology has long been overdue....Emery George and all the contributors to this anthology are to be congratulated for an excellent introduction to Slavic and East European poetry. Here is a work that can be used in poetry and translating courses and, at the same time, can stand as a mini-reference to non-Western poets."--World Literature Today "A good anthology, rich in the range off reading experience, attractive in the warm understanding of the editors who chose the pieces and certainly unique as a store of knowledge about East European poetry."--Journal of Baltic Studies "Wow! This is just what I want. It picks up where Postwar Polish Poetry and other anthologies stop."--Sam Garner, North Carolina A&T State University "A must for everybody interested in European literature."--Peter Steiner, University of Pennsylvania "A high-quality collection of poetry in translation. The poetry in this collection succeeds wonderfully in giving Western readers a sense of the variety of East European poetry, but just as important, a sense of the profound difference in voice and vision between East European poetry and its Western counterpart."--Thomas C. Carlson, The Commercial Appeal

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Book SynopsisAdopting an interdisciplinary approach, this study examines the different representations of women in the Odyssey and their significance within the context of the poem and Greek culture. A central theme of the book is the visualization of the Odyssey''s female characters by ancient artists, and several essays discuss the visual and iconographic implications of Odysseus'' female encounters in Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art. Feminine in orientation, but not narrowly feminist in approach, this first interdisciplinary work on the Odyssey''s female characters will have a broad audience among scholars and students working in classical studies, iconography and art history, women''s studies, mythology, and ancient history.Trade ReviewA multi-disciplinary range - history, art history and literature. It has ample notes and references and a magnificent collection of sixty plates, eminently usable in other Homeric contexts. * JACT review *The twelve contributors combine to offer a remarkably coherent reading of the poem and its values; the volume as a whole is an important contribution to current debate in this much-discussed field. * M.R. Gale, Royal Holloway, London, Journal of Hellenic Studies *This is a helpful contribution to the field. All Greek is translated. The production is fine. * The Classical Review *In an impressive series of papers, the contributors to this rich volume examine the various facets of the feminine figures in the Odyssey in the light of Greek culture, history, and mythology...A unique collection of outstanding articles on every aspect of the feminine in the Odyssey.The Journal of Indo-European StudiesAn enjoyable, informative, and instructive read ... the first extensive interdisciplinary discussion of representation of female characters in the poem * Grainne McLaughlin, Univ. of Dublin, Hermathena *Three introductory essays ... will doubtless prove especially helpful to undergraduates as they cover the key areas of the poem's datation, its representation of female characters, and the contemporary nuances in their vizualization by artists of the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. * Grainne McLaughlin, Univ. of Dublin, Hermathena *A work useful to both undergraduates and specialists. * Grainne McLaughlin, Univ of Dublin, Hermathena *

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Book SynopsisRobert Durling''s much-anticipated translation of the Paradiso, the third and final volume of Dante''s Divine Comedy, is available at last. Durling''s prose translations of the Inferno and the Purgatorio garnered high praise, and with this superb version of the Paradiso readers can now traverse the entirety of Dante''s epic poem of spiritual ascent with the guidance of one of the greatest living Italian-to-English translators. Reunited with his beloved Beatrice in the Paradiso, the poet-narrator journeys through the heavenly spheres and comes to know the state of blessed souls after death, the joy that every man can attain with God''s grace. As with the previous volumes, the original Italian and its English translation appear on facing pages for language mavens. But every reader will be drawn to Durling''s precise and vivid prose, which is perfectly suited to capture Dante''s extraordinary range of expression--from the high style of divine revelation to colloquial speech, lyrical inteTrade ReviewAs Durling and Martinez complete their monumental three-volume presentation of Dante's masterpiece, we can sense their triumph and elation, despite their characteristic modesty. This, after all, is the volume with which they can demonstrate the fullness and consistency of Dante's great project, its final approach to what they describe in one footnote as 'a pitch of intensity unique in all literature.' The scholarship, as always, is graceful, comprehensive, and acute, and it surrounds a translation that is so carefully considered and fully realized as to be, at times, quite breathtaking. * David Young, translator of The Poetry of Petrarch *Durling and Martinez deliver Paradiso in elegant English prose faithful to Dante's Italian. The general introduction and succinct notes to each canto enable an informed reading of a frequently daunting text, while the longer 'Additional Notes,' bibliography, and indices will more than satisfy the most exigent critic. Marvelous, in the richest medieval sense of the term. * Michael Wyatt, author of The Italian Encounter with Tudor England *At the end of his poem Dante claims that his 'high imagining failed of power,' but Durling and Martinez have suffered no such fate in completing their translation of the Divine Comedy. Their Paradiso is a crowning achievement, a work of lucid prose and of impeccable accuracy. Readers will find themselves rewarded by the succinct, richly informative notes at the end of each canto and the extended essay-notes at the back of the volume. A splendid accomplishment. * Richard Lansing, editor of The Dante Encyclopedia *Table of ContentsCONTENTS Abbreviations, xv Introduction, 2 PARADISO CANTO 1 Notes to Canto 1 CANTO 2 Notes to Canto 2 CANTO 3 Notes to Canto 3 CANTO 4 Notes to Canto 4 CANTO 5 Notes to Canto 5 CANTO 6 Notes to Canto 6 CANTO 7 Notes to Canto 7 CANTO 8 Notes to Canto 8 CANTO 9 Notes to Canto 9 CANTO 10 Notes to Canto 10 CANTO 11 Notes to Canto 11 CANTO 12 Notes to Canto 12 CANTO 13 Notes to Canto 13 CANTO 14 Notes to Canto 14 CANTO 15 Notes to Canto 15 CANTO 16 Notes to Canto 16 CANTO 17 Notes to Canto 17 CANTO 18 Notes to Canto 18 CANTO 19 Notes to Canto 19 CANTO 20 Notes to Canto 20 CANTO 21 Notes to Canto 21 CANTO 22 Notes to Canto 22 CANTO 23 Notes to Canto 23 CANTO 24 Notes to Canto 24 CANTO 25 Notes to Canto 25 CANTO 26 Notes to Canto 26 CANTO 27 Notes to Canto 27 CANTO 28 Notes to Canto 28 CANTO 29 Notes to Canto 29 CANTO 30 Notes to Canto 30 CANTO 31 Notes to Canto 31 CANTO 32 Notes to Canto 32 CANTO 33 Notes to Canto 33 THE NICENE CREED BOETHIUS' O QUI PERPETUA MUNDUM RATIONE GUBERNAS Notes to "O qui perpetua' ADDITIONAL NOTES 1. The Figure of Beatrice (After Canto 2) 2. The Paradiso and the Monarchia 3.The Primacy of the Intellect, the Sun, and the Circling Theologians (After Canto 14) 4. Dante and the Liturgy (After Canto 15) 5. The Religious Orders in the Paradiso 6. The Threshold Cantos in the Comedy 7. The Fate of Phaethon in the Comedy 8. Circle-Cross-Eagle-Scales: Images in the Paradiso 9. The Final Image 10. The Neoplatonic Background 11. Dante and Neoplatonism 12. Dante's Astrology 13. The Heavens and the Sciences: Convivio 2 14. The Paradiso as Alpha and Omega Textual Variants Bibliography Index of Italian, Latin, and Other Foreign Words Discussed in the Notes Index of Passages Cited in the Notes Index of Proper Names in the Notes Index of Proper Names in the Text and Translation

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest living Italian-to-English translators, Robert Durling''s rendition of the third and final volume of Dante''s masterful literary epic is now available in paperback. As with the two preceding volumes, Durling''s precise and powerful translation of Paradiso appears alongside the original Italian text recounting Dante''s journey through heaven with the beautiful Beatrice. The end of each canto contains thorough yet succinct notes by Durling and Ronald Martinez that acquaint the reader with Dante''s medieval world and his reference points. Thus the volume will appeal to the general reader as well as lovers and students of Italian literature, language, and history. While English-language translations of the Commedia abound, the accuracy and lyrical verve of Durling''s translations have earned him a place as one of the all time greats.Trade ReviewAs Durling and Martinez complete their monumental three-volume presentation of Dante's masterpiece, we can sense their triumph and elation, despite their characteristic modesty. This, after all, is the volume with which they can demonstrate the fullness and consistency of Dante's great project, its final approach to what they describe in one footnote as 'a pitch of intensity unique in all literature.' The scholarship, as always, is graceful, comprehensive, and acute, and it surrounds a translation that is so carefully considered and fully realized as to be, at times, quite breathtaking. * David Young, translator of The Poetry of Petrarch *Durling and Martinez deliver Paradiso in elegant English prose faithful to Dante's Italian. The general introduction and succinct notes to each canto enable an informed reading of a frequently daunting text, while the longer 'Additional Notes,' bibliography, and indices will more than satisfy the most exigent critic. Marvelous, in the richest medieval sense of the term. * Michael Wyatt, author of The Italian Encounter with Tudor England *At the end of his poem Dante claims that his 'high imagining failed of power,' but Durling and Martinez have suffered no such fate in completing their translation of the Divine Comedy. Their Paradiso is a crowning achievement, a work of lucid prose and of impeccable accuracy. Readers will find themselves rewarded by the succinct, richly informative notes at the end of each canto and the extended essay-notes at the back of the volume. A splendid accomplishment. * Richard Lansing, editor of The Dante Encyclopedia *Table of ContentsCONTENTS ; Abbreviations, xv ; Introduction, 2 ; PARADISO ; CANTO 1 ; Notes to Canto 1 ; CANTO 2 ; Notes to Canto 2 ; CANTO 3 ; Notes to Canto 3 ; CANTO 4 ; Notes to Canto 4 ; CANTO 5 ; Notes to Canto 5 ; CANTO 6 ; Notes to Canto 6 ; CANTO 7 ; Notes to Canto 7 ; CANTO 8 ; Notes to Canto 8 ; CANTO 9 ; Notes to Canto 9 ; CANTO 10 ; Notes to Canto 10 ; CANTO 11 ; Notes to Canto 11 ; CANTO 12 ; Notes to Canto 12 ; CANTO 13 ; Notes to Canto 13 ; CANTO 14 ; Notes to Canto 14 ; CANTO 15 ; Notes to Canto 15 ; CANTO 16 ; Notes to Canto 16 ; CANTO 17 ; Notes to Canto 17 ; CANTO 18 ; Notes to Canto 18 ; CANTO 19 ; Notes to Canto 19 ; CANTO 20 ; Notes to Canto 20 ; CANTO 21 ; Notes to Canto 21 ; CANTO 22 ; Notes to Canto 22 ; CANTO 23 ; Notes to Canto 23 ; CANTO 24 ; Notes to Canto 24 ; CANTO 25 ; Notes to Canto 25 ; CANTO 26 ; Notes to Canto 26 ; CANTO 27 ; Notes to Canto 27 ; CANTO 28 ; Notes to Canto 28 ; CANTO 29 ; Notes to Canto 29 ; CANTO 30 ; Notes to Canto 30 ; CANTO 31 ; Notes to Canto 31 ; CANTO 32 ; Notes to Canto 32 ; CANTO 33 ; Notes to Canto 33 ; THE NICENE CREED ; BOETHIUS' O QUI PERPETUA MUNDUM RATIONE GUBERNAS ; Notes to "O qui perpetua' ; ADDITIONAL NOTES ; 1. The Figure of Beatrice (After Canto 2) ; 2. The Paradiso and the Monarchia ; 3.The Primacy of the Intellect, the Sun, and the Circling Theologians (After Canto 14) ; 4. Dante and the Liturgy (After Canto 15) ; 5. The Religious Orders in the Paradiso ; 6. The Threshold Cantos in the Comedy ; 7. The Fate of Phaethon in the Comedy ; 8. Circle-Cross-Eagle-Scales: Images in the Paradiso ; 9. The Final Image ; 10. The Neoplatonic Background ; 11. Dante and Neoplatonism ; 12. Dante's Astrology ; 13. The Heavens and the Sciences: Convivio 2 ; 14. The Paradiso as Alpha and Omega ; Textual Variants ; Bibliography ; Index of Italian, Latin, and Other Foreign Words Discussed in the Notes ; Index of Passages Cited in the Notes ; Index of Proper Names in the Notes ; Index of Proper Names in the Text and Translation

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Book SynopsisSchuchard''s critical study draws upon previously unpublished and uncollected materials in showing how T.S. Eliot''s personal voice works through the sordid, the bawdy, the blasphemous, and the horrific to create a unique moral world and the only theory of moral criticism in English literature. The book also erodes conventional attitudes toward Eliot''s intellectual and spiritual development, showing how early and consistently his classical and religious sensibility manifests itself in his poetry and criticism. The book examines his reading, his teaching, his bawdy poems, and his life-long attraction to music halls and other modes of popular culture to show the complex relation between intellectual biography and art.Trade ReviewStands out as one of the best books on Eliot in recent years ... Revealing the complexity of Eliot's life and work - against a simplistic, critical consensus - is a strength of each one of these essays. * Review of English Studies *Excellent monograph ... Schuchard's book ranks among the most considerable contributions of the year for significantly revising some central planks of the standard biographical narrative, let alone the discourse ... This is a book to be savoured. * Years Work in English Studies *This book ... is a major landmark in Elio scholarship and criticism. * The Glass *

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Book SynopsisJose de Alencar''s prose-poem Iracema, first published in 1865, is a classic of Brazilian literature--perhaps the most widely-known piece of fiction within Brazil, and the most widely-read of Alencar''s many works. Set in the sixteenth century, it is an extremely romantic portrayal of a doomed love between a Portuguese soldier and an Indian maiden. Iracema reflects the gingerly way that mid-nineteenth cenury Brazil dealt with race mixture and multicultural experience. Precisely because of its nineteenth-century romanticism, Iracema strongly contributed to a Brazilian sense of nationhood - contemporary Brazilian writers and literary critics still cite it as a foundation for their own work.Trade Review"Another historically and culturally significant addition to the Library of Latin America series."--Booklist

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Book SynopsisThis book presents new English translations of 150 erotic poems composed in India''s three classical languages: Old Tamil, Maharastri Prakit, and Sanskrit. The poems are derived from large anthological collections that date from as early as the first centruy CE to as late as the eight century. In Martha Selby''s masterful translations, the poems both stand on their own as poems in English and maintain the flavours of the original verses as reflected in idiom and structure. The poems are grouped according to themes, and annotated whenever a brief gloss is necessary. The book begins with several scholarly essays on the poems and how to read them, their origin, and the languages in which they were composed. This is followed by the poems themselves.Trade ReviewThe translations leap from the eye to the ear, viscerally vernacular, as if newly thought in English. The notes make the most arcane problems vividly clear. And the introductory essays, not just about poetry but about sex, women, love, and gender, are in themselves a major contribution to the study of all of these subjects. A pleasure for anyone to read, and a real eye-opener for anyone who claims to know the culture of ancient India, as well as for those who do not. * Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago *Table of Contents1. INTRODUCTION ; 7. YOUNG WOMEN SPEAK TO THEIR FEMALE FRIENDS

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Book SynopsisFrom the tenth century to the thirteenth, the Jews of Spain belonged to a vibrant and relatively tolerant Arabic-speaking society, a sophisticated culture that had a marked effect on Jewish life, thought, artistic tastes, and literary expression. In this companion volume to Wine, Women, and Death, we see how the surrounding Arabic culture influenced the new poetry that was being written for the synagogue service. The Hebrew poems here, accompanied by elegant English translations and explanatory essays, are short lyrics of the highest literary quality.Table of ContentsIntroduction God and Israel God and the Soul Afterword Notes Technical Terms Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume looks at the fascinating intersection of traditional myth with an enthnographically-viewed Homeric world. Carol Dougherty argues that the resourcefulness of Odysseus as an adventurer on perilous seas served as an example to Homer's society.Trade ReviewA great virtue of Dougherty's book is that it not only offers possible answers but also encourages a range of further questions * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *some very good discussion, particularly of the relationships between issues of colonization and poetic imagination * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *The Introduction shows the breadth of Dougherty's argument, which itself traverses an extensive terrain for a book of a size that encourages the reader * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *This is a sparkling study of the Odyssey * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *

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Book SynopsisIn How to Kill a Dragon Calvert Watkins follows the continuum of poetic formulae in Indo-European languages, from Old Hittite to medieval Irish. He uses the comparative method to reconstruct traditional poetic formulae of considerable complexity that stretch as far back as the original common language. Thus, Watkins reveals the antiquity and tenacity of the Indo- European poetic tradition. Watkins begins this study with an introduction to the field of comparative Indo-European poetics; he explores the Saussurian notions of synchrony and diachrony, and locates the various Indo-European traditions and ideologies of the spoken word. Further, his overview presents case studies on the forms of verbal art, with selected texts drawn from Indic, Iranian, Greek, Latin, Hittite, Armenian, Celtic, and Germanic languages. In the remainder of the book, Watkins examines in detail the structure of the dragon/serpent- slaying myths, which recur in various guises throughout the Indo-European poetic tradition. He finds the signature formula for the myth--the divine hero who slays the serpent or overcomes adversaries--occurs in the same linguistic form in a wide range of sources and over millennia, including Old and Middle Iranian holy books, Greek epic, Celtic and Germanic sagas, down to Armenian oral folk epic of the last century. Watkins argues that this formula is the vehicle for the central theme of a proto-text, and a central part of the symbolic culture of speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language: the relation of humans to their universe, the values and expectations of their society. Therefore, he further argues, poetry was a social necessity for Indo- European society, where the poet could confer on patrons what they and their culture valued above all else: imperishable fame.Trade Reviewsince Watkins writes in English, and very readably (exotic material is regularly translated), he will surely dominate Anglophone perceptions of the field ... This is a magnificent work. * N.J.Allen *"...it attests to an extraordinary erudition and unique command of the major ancient IE languages; it contains innumerable original insights and fascinating notes on religion and mythology; it is well written and develops its argument step by step with growing conviction and clarity; altogether, a challenging and stimulating work!"--The Journal of Indo-European Studies"The book...is at once an impressive summation of what has gone before and a bold step forward into new waters...In its methodology, in its breadth, Watkins' book can only be termed a tour de force."--Journal of the American Oriental Society"This book is an inspiring introduction to the problems and techniques of comparative Indo-European poetics and at the same time a major contribution to that field...It is both delightfully entertaining and a very important work..."--The Classical Journal"...[this] rewarding book crowns many decades of thorough and ofter brillant linguistic research."--Religious Studies Review"Watkins builds a compelling case for his interpretations....This work is richly illustrated with examples from relevant literature, with all passages presented both in the original and in translation."--Diachronica"...the sheer mass of the learning in this landmark book by Watkins is overwhelming....the whole book is full of stimulating ideas....We owe a debt of gratitude to Watkins for this massive - and masterly - synthesis of traditional poetics in the Indo-European tradition."--Journal of American FolkloreTable of ContentsABSTRACTS OF INDO-EUROPEAN POLITICS I. The Field of Comparative Poetics: Introduction and Background 1: The comparative method in linguistic and poetics 2: Sketch for a history of Indo-European politics 3: Poetics as grammar: Typology of poetic devices, and some rules of poetic grammar 4: Poetics as repertory: The poetic traditions of the Indo-European world -- sources and texts 5: The Indo-European poet: His social function and his art 6: The poet's truth: The power, particularly, and preservation of the word II. Case Studies 7: Greece and the art of the world 8: Vedic India and the art of the world 9: Ireland and the art of the syllable 10: Saxa loquuntur: The first age of poetry in Italy -- Faliscan and South Picene 11: Most ancient Indo-Europeans 12: The comparison of formulaic sequences 13: An Indo-European stylistic figure 14: A late Indo-European traditional epithet 15: An Indo-European theme and formula: Imperishable fame 16: The hidden track of the cow: Obscure styles in Indo-European III. The Strophic Style: An Indo-European Poetic Form 17: Some Indo-European prayers: Cato's lustration of the fields 18: Umbria: The Tales of Iguvium 19: Italy and India: The elliptic offering 20: Strophic structures as "rhythmic prose"? Italic 21: Strophic structures in Iranian 22: 'Truth of Truth', 'most kavi of kavis', 'throng-lord of throngs': An Indo-Iranian stylistic figure 23: More strophic structures 24: Early Irish rosc 25: The Asvamedha or Horse Sacrifice: An Indo-European Liturgical form 26: Orphic gold leaves and the great way of the soul: Strophic style, funerary ritual formula, and eschatology HOW TO KILL A DRAGON IN INDO-EUROPEAN: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEORY OF THE FORUMLA IV. The Basic Forumla and Its Variants in the Narration of the Myth 27: Preliminaries 28: The root *guhen-: Vedic han- 29: The root *guhen-: Avestan jan- 30: The root *guhen-: Hittite kuen- and the Indo-European theme and formula 31: The slayer slain: A reciprocal forumla 32: First variant: The root *uedh- 33: 'Like a reed': The Indo-European background of a Luvian ritual 34: Second variant: the root *terh2- 35: Latin tarentum, the ludi saeculares, and Indo-European eschatology 36: The myth of Greece: Variations on the formula and theme 37: Expansion of the forumla: A recursive formulaic figure 38: Herakles, the formulaic hero 39: Hermes, Enualios, and Lukoworgos: The Serpent-slayer and the Man-slayer 40: Nektar and the adversary Death 41: The saga of Iphitos and the hero as monster 42: The name of Meleager 43: The Germanic world 44: Thor's hammer and the mace of Contract V. Some Indo-European Dragons and Dragon-Slayers 45: Fergus mae Leti and the muirdris 46: Typhoeus and the Illuyankas 47: Python and Ahi Budhnya, the Serpent of the Deep 48: Azi dahaka, Visvarupa, and Greyon VI. From Myth to Epic 49: From God to hero: The formulaic network in Greek 50: The best of the Achaeans 51: To be the death of: Transformation of the formula 52: The forumla without the word: A note on Euripides and Lysias 53: The basic forumla and the announcement of death 54: Further Indo-European comparisons and themes 55: The song of victory in Greek VII. From Myth to Charm 56: From dragon to worm 57: The charms of Indo-European 58: Indo-European medical doctrine 59: The poet as healer

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Book SynopsisSchuchard''s critical study draws upon previously unpublished and uncollected materials in showing how Eliot''s personal voice works through the sordid, the bawdy, the blasphemous, and the horrific to create a unique moral world and the only theory of moral criticism in English literature. The book also erodes conventional attitudes toward Eliot''s intellectual and spiritual development, showing how early and consistently his classical and religious sensibility manifests itself in his poetry and criticism. The book examines his reading, his teaching, his bawdy poems, and his life-long attraction to music halls and other modes of popular culture to show the complex relation between intellectual biography and art.Trade Review"[The book] will be essential reading for professional scholars and critics writing about Eliot for some time to come....A treasure trove of information about Eliot's life and art....Empirical discoveries are rare indeed in literary criticism...Schuchard's discovery and publication of these documents revealed how much the young Eliot's famous critical pronouncements and poetic allusions owed to his routine class preparations....The definitive statement on Eliot's brief teaching career and its crucial relation to his development as a writer....Reconstructs Eliot's pop-cultural frame of reference in the 1910s and '20s. His love of the latest joke, the latest dance craze, and the latest outrage on middle-class sensibilities perpetrated by one visiting Continental avant-gardist or another enabled Eliot to tune his poetry to the zeitgeist, even as his private yearnings toward a medieval Christian faith tormented him."--Review"A work of literary criticism that actually lives up to the puffs on the dust jacket: `Beautifully written and exhaustively researched...it is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in Eliot."--Virginia Quarterly Review"What a book! Ronald Schuchard...has the audacity to write with uncompromising clarity, skill and grace....Congratulate him, for in Eliot's Dark Angel: Intersections of Life and Art Schuchard has produced the best critical work on T.S. Eliot I have read in over a decade, and certainly one of the top half dozen in the behemoth canon of critical sorties into Eliot terrain....It is a milestone in Eliot criticism."--Christianity and Literature"The most unique aspect of this excellent work is Schuchard's inclusion of previously unpublished materials reflecting T.S. Eliot's teaching activity--particularly the valuable, detailed syllabi for several courses he taught towards the end of World War I...."--Choice"[Schuchard] elucidates those moments in which he finds that the life presses with particular insistence upon the poems. The method is justified by the perceptions at which it arrives.... The fourth [chapter], one of the most original, argues that Eliot's comic sense, fortified by Baudelaire's 'On the Essence of Laughter,' expressed itself in a respect for farce, burlesque, caricature, and obscenity.... This superb essay leads to another just as good, a study of Eliot's feeling for the art of the music hall, Marie Lloyd and her peers, and the ballet of Diaghilev and Massine as inspirations toward a possible poetic theater.... The book ends...with a splendid analysis of St. John of the Cross, the English mystical writers, and--crucially--the centrality of George Herbert in Eliot's later poetry and criticism.... I recommend to your attention [Eliot's Dark Angel]."--Denis Donoghue, The Southern Review

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Book SynopsisThis reissue of Menand''s classic intellectual history of T.S. Eliot and the singular role he played in the rise of literary modernism features an updated Afterword by the author, as well as a detailed critical appraisal of the progression of Eliot''s career as a poet and critic. Menand shows how Eliot''s early views on literary value and authenticity--and his later repudiation of those views--reflect the profound changes regarding the understanding of literature and its significance that occurred in the early part of the twentieth century. The new Afterword was adapted from Menand''s critically lauded essay on Eliot in The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism, Volume Seven: Modernism and the New Criticism.Trade Reviewa very welcome second appearance for a small classic of Eliot criticism * Jeremy Noel-Tod, Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAdvice to young singers often follows the standard line of the great French singer Claire Croiza: Study the poem away from the music, so that you know what the words really mean. But Croiza''s advice is notoriously difficult to follow when performing French mélodies. Just how do you approach a French poem? In the lyric poetry on which the mélodie is based, meaning is conveyed not just through the words but also through the poem''s formal structure. Understanding French Verse: A Guide for Singers explains this formal structure and sets out the basics of French versification, using examples drawn from a wide range of well-known song settings. Its chapters examine French meters, stanzaic forms, sonnets, rondels and other fixed forms, rhyme and sound patterning, and free verse poems. Written in a clear and concise way, it explains the Alexandrine, how to distinguish different meters by counting syllables, and how to identify stresses in French verse. The book also illustrates how rhyme woTrade Review...very useful... * Dorothee Mertz-Weigel, French Review, vol. 80.1 *Table of Contents1: Why This Guide? 2: The Basics of the French Line 3: Common French Meters 4: Stanzas 5: Sonnets, rondels, and other fixed forms 6: Rhyme 7: Free verse Appendix 1. Commentaries on four poems Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe Le colibri En sourdine Montparnasse Appendix 2. Poems and songs discussed in the guide Appendix 3. A brief history of French versification Glossary of technical terms Notes Suggestions for further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThis book collects together the major published works, as well as some previously unpublished items, by Parry, who remains a major figure in Homeric studies. His work, which had been edited by his son, connected disparate contentions and observations made by preceding scholars on the Homeric question (as to who composed the poems, for example, and how they were composed). In formulating a consistent picture of what Homeric poetry was and what the conditions were that allowed it to come into being, his work continues to have a major impact in classics.This is a paperback reissue of a title first published by Clarendon Press in 1970.Trade ReviewWarmly recommended to all students of early epic, Greek or otherwise. * Religious Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisIn December of 1862, having read his brother''s name in a casualty list, Walt Whitman rushed from Brooklyn to the war front, where he found his brother wounded but recovering. But Whitman also found there a new world, a world dense with horror and revelation. Memoranda During the War is Whitman''s testament to the anguish, heroism, and terror of the Civil War. The book consists of journal entries extending from Whitman''s arrival on the front in 1862 through to the war''s conclusion in 1865. Whitman details his encounters with soldiers and doctors, meditates on particular battles and on the meanings of the war for the nation, and recounts his wordless though peculiarly intimate public exchanges with President Lincoln, a man Whitman saw often on the streets of Washington and by whom he was deeply fascinated. The book offers an astounding amalgam of death portraits, anecdotes of battle, last words, messages to distant loved ones, and remarkably restrained and muted descriptions of pain,Trade ReviewCoviello has done an excellent job here: the text itself, and the wonderfully argued and informative introduction to it, will, without doubt, help redirect studies of Whitman by throwing his post-Civil War writings into clearer contexts and a much sharper focus. * Nick Selby, Modern Languages Review, vol 102, part 1 *

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Book SynopsisQuestions of Possibility examines the particular forms that contemporary American poets favor and those they neglect. The poets' choices reveal both their ambitions and their limitations, the new possibilities they discover and the traditions they find unimaginable. The poetic forms discussed include the sestina, ghazal, love sonnet, ballad, and heroic couplet.Trade Reviewa valuable, lively, informative, and thoroughly engaging study. * Stephen Matterson, MLR *

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Book SynopsisA uniquely comprehensive, step-by-step introduction to poetic form, The Art of Poetry moves progressively from smaller units such as the word, line, and image, to larger features such as verse forms and voice.In fourteen engaging, eloquently written chapters, Wolosky explores in depth how poetry works while offering brilliant readings of some of the finest lyric poetry in the English and American traditions. Both readers new to poetry and poetry veterans will be moved and enlightened as Wolosky interprets works by William Shakespeare, John Donne, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and others. Featuring a comprehensive bibliography, a glossary of poetic terms, and a new appendix of suggestions for further reading, The Art of Poetry is a rich source of inspiration.Trade ReviewThe Art of Poetryi is both a superb technical manual and an authentic guide to the art of reading poetry. With brilliance and extraordinary lucidity, Wolosky illuminates such essential matters as metaphor, poetic voice, and the crucial relation of rhetoric to poetic meaning. I cannot imagine a more useful and distinguished book of this kind. * Harold Bloom, author of The Anxiety of Influence *Shira Wolosky's comprehensive and lucid practical introduction to what makes poems poetic also provides a sophisticated and informative look at theoretical poetics in all its aspects. It is rare that an elementary study can also be as useful for advanced students and teachers of poetry as this well-worked-out exposition, clearly written and free of pseudo-theoretical jargon. * John Hollander, Yale University *This book is a welcome gift, an arresting vade mecum for student and teacher, reader and writer alike. * Robert Fagles, Princeton University *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Word Choice ; 2. Syntax and the Poetic Line ; 3. Images: Simile and Metaphor ; 4. Metaphor and the Sonnet ; 5. The Sonnet ; 6. Poetic Conventions ; 7. More Verse Forms ; 8. Personification ; 9. Poetic Voice ; 10. Gender and Poetic Voice ; 11. Poetic Rhythm: Metric ; 12. Poetic Rhythm: Sound and Rhyme ; 13. Rhetoric: More Tropes ; 14. Incomplete Figures and the Art of Reading ; Appendix ; Glossary ; Bibliographical Backgrounds ; Index of Poems ; Index of Poets ; Index of Terms and Topics

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Book SynopsisAt the Violet Hour argues that the literature of the early twentieth-century in England and Ireland was deeply organized around a reckoning with grievous violence, imagined as intimate, direct, and often transformative. The book aims to excavate and amplify a consistent feature of this literature, which is that its central operations (formal as well as thematic) emerge specifically in reference to violence. At the Violet Hour offers a variety of new terms and paradigms for reading violence in literary works, most centrally the concepts it names enchanted and disenchanted violence. In addition to defining key aspects of literary violence in the period, including the notion of violet hour, the book explores three major historical episodes: dynamite violence and anarchism in the nineteenth century, which provided a vibrant, new consciousness about explosion, sensationalism, and the limits of political meaning in the act of violence; the turbulent events consuming Ireland in the first thirTrade ReviewCole's close readings of violence in the work of some of the major modernists are superb. * Lauren Arrington, The Times Literary Supplement *At the Violet Hour is also striking in terms of what it leaves out: a full-scale exploration of the Great War, arguably the defining event in the concatenation of modernism and violence. * Paul Sheehan, Review of English Studies *Cole's well-written, formidably researched book is a treasure trove of incisive readings that will surely become a classic ... Highly recommended. * D. Stuber, CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter 1 ; Enchanted and Disenchanted Violence ; Chapter 2 ; Dynamite Violence: From Melodrama to Menace ; Chapter 3 ; Cyclical Violence: The Irish Insurrection and the Limits of Enchantment ; Chapter 4 ; Patterns of Violence: Virginia Woolf in the 1930s ; Conclusion ; Index

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