Little known as a poet in his own time, Andrew Marvell (1621-78) was a patriotic politician and champion of religious toleration during the Restoration. Although long celebrated for the great love lyric, To His Coy Mistress, the last century has seen his wider reputation as a poet grow significantly, as readers have acclaimed not only his technical excellence, but the appeal of his verse to such themes as poetry and politics, alternative sexualities and the criticism of violent persecution.
Nigel Smith presents an authoritative text of Marvell''s poetry, accompanied by extensive annotations giving an unprecedented record of literary, philosophical and theological analogues and allusions. Local points of interpretation are addressed - using the many hundreds of publications devoted to Marvell''s life and works - and Marvell''s canon is re-appraised: some poems considered dubious hitherto are added, and others excluded. In a headnote to each poem, the reader will
