A Companion To Eighteenth-Century Poetry

Brings together 48 fresh and original contributions from practicing poets and leading scholars, who together offer critical and contextual coverage of the full range of English-language poetry in the last century.



Brings together original contributions by leading international scholars and practising poets.

Offers critical and contextual coverage of the full range of English-language poetry in the twentieth-century.

Incorporates new readings of key selected texts.

Embraces the extraordinary development of poetry over the century in twenty English-speaking countries.

Fully integrates women poets, feminist approaches and post-colonial poets.

Christine Gerrard is Fellow and Tutor in English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. She is the author of The Patriot Opposition to Walpole: Politics, Poetry, and National Myth, 1725–1742 (1994) and Aaron Hill: The Muses' Projector, 1685–1750 (2003). She is the co-editor, with David Fairer, of Eighteenth-Century Poetry: An Annotated Anthology (Blackwell, second edition, 2003).

Notes on Contributors.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: Christine Gerrard (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University).

Part I: Contexts and Perspectives:.

1. Poetry, Politics and the Rise of Party: Christine Gerrard (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University).

2. Poetry, Politics, and Empire: Suvir Kaul (University of Pennsylvania).

3. Poetry and Science: Clark Lawlor (University of Northumbria at Newcastle).

4. Poetry and Religion: Emma Mason (University of Warwick).

5. Poetic Enthusiasm: John D. Morillo (North Carolina State University).

6. Poetry and the Visual Arts: Robert Jones (University of Leeds).

7. Poetry, Popular Culture, and the Literary Marketplace: George Justice (University of Missouri-Columbia).

8. Women Poets and their Writing in Eighteenth-Century Britain: Charlotte Grant (formerly Senior Research Fellow at the AHRC Centre for the Study of the Domestic Interior).

9. Poetry, Sentiment, and Sensibility: Jennifer Keith (University of North Carolina at Greensboro).

Part II: Readings:.

10. John Gay, The Shepherd's Week: Mina Gorji (Magdalen College, Oxford University).

11. Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock and "Eloisa to Abelard": Valerie Rumbold (University of Birmingham).

12. Jonathan Swift, The "Stella" Poems: Ros Ballaster (Mansfield College, Oxford).

13. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Six Town Eclogues and Other Poems: Isobel Grundy (University of Alberta, Canada).

14. James Thomson, The Seasons: Christine Gerrard (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University).

15. Stephen Duck, The Thresher's Labour, and Mary Collier, The Woman's Labour: John Goodridge (Nottingham Trent University).

16. Mary Leapor, "Crumble-Hall": David Fairer (University of Leeds).

17. Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of Imagination: Adam Rounce (Keele University).

18. Samuel Johnson, London and The Vanity of Human Wishes: David F. Venturo (College of New Jersey).

19. William Collins, "Ode on the Poetical Character": John Sitter (University of Notre Dame).

20. Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard: Suvir Kaul (University of Pennsylvania).

21. Christopher Smart, Jubilate Agno: Chris Mounsey (University of Winchester).

22. Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, and George Crabbe, The Village: Caryn Chaden (DePaul University).

23. William Cowper, The Task: Freya Johnston (University of Warwick).

24. Robert Burns, "Tam o' Shanter": Murray Pittock (Manchester University).

Part III: Forms and Genres:.

25. Rhyming Couplets and Blank Verse: Richard Bradford (University of Ulster, Coleraine).

26. Epic and Mock-Heroic: Richard Terry (University of Sunderland).

27. Verse Satire: Brean Hammond (University of Nottingham).

28. The Ode: Margaret M. Koehler (Otterbein College).

29. The Georgic: Juan Christian Pellicer (University of Oslo).

30. The Verse Epistle: Bill Overton (Loughborough University).

Part IV: Themes and Debates:.

31. The Constructions of Femininity: Kathryn R. King (University of Montevallo, Alabama).

32. Whig and Tory Poetics: Abigail Williams (St Peter's College, Oxford University).

33. The Classical Inheritance: David Hopkins (University of Bristol).

34. Augustanism and Pre-Romanticism: Thomas Woodman (University of Reading).

35. Recovering the Past: Shakespeare, Spenser, and British Poetic Tradition: Carolyn D. Williams (University of Reading).

36. The Pleasures and Perils of the Imagination: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool).

37. The Sublime: Shaun Irlam (University at Buffalo).

38. Poetry and the City: Markman Ellis (Queen Mary, University of London).

39. Cartography and the Poetry of Place: Rachel Crawford (University of San Fransisco).

40. Rural Poetry and the Self-Taught Tradition: Bridget Keegan (Creighton University, Nebraska).

41. Poetry Beyond the English Borders: Gerard Carruthers (University of Glasgow).

Index