Description: An astute, reader-friendly study of seven of the most influential American and English poets of the last two hundred years. These twenty-five essays are designed to ask questions about modernity and the nature of the modern lyric and to challenge our given opinions. The seven poets under discussion - John Keats, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, Gwendolyn Brooks, and W.S. Merwin - represent the early, high, and recent stages of modern lyric poetry. The author has assembled a team of critics from among the most insightful and important poet-scholars working today, to consider how the "modern" evolves, and how these seven essential poets create, represent, and further shape the modern lyric "tradition." Originally begun as lectures for the Associated Writing Programs, this book strikes a balance of rigorous reading of modern poetry and widely accessible essays for anyone interested in the art today.
