Fully revised, updated and expanded, John Lennard's accessible guide to
poetry is noteworthy for its emphasis on practical criticism that is designed
to help students gain a new appreciation for poetry and a real insight into how
poems work.The Poetry Handbook is a lucid and entertaining guide to the poet's craft,
and an invaluable introduction to practical criticism for students. Chapters on
each element of poetry, from metre to gender, offer a wide-ranging general
account, and end by looking at two or three poems from a small group (including
works by Donne, Tennyson, Elizabeth Bishop, Geoffrey Hill, and Nobel Laureate
Derek Walcott), to build up sustained analytical readings.; Thorough and compact, with notes and quotations supplemented by detailed
reference to the Norton Anthology of Poetry and a companion website with texts,
links, and further discussion, The Poetry Handbook is indispensable for all
school and undergraduate students of English. A final chapter addresses
examinations of all kinds, and sample essays by undergraduates are posted on
the website. Critical and scholarly terms are italicised and clearly explained,
both in the text and in a complete glossary; the volume also includes annotated
suggestions for further reading.; The first edition, widely praised by teachers and students, showed how the
pleasures of poetry are heightened by rigorous understanding and made that
understanding readily available. This second edition - revised, expanded,
updated, and supported by a new companion website - confirm The Poetry Handbook
as the best guide to poetry available in English.
