William Wordsworth's Poetry

This title provides a comprehensive guide to studying Wordsworth at undergraduate level. William Wordsworth continues to be one of the most popular and widely studied poets from the nineteenth century. This Reader's Guide provides an overview of Wordsworth's career, which began in obscurity, persisted through ridicule, and culminated finally in popular success and acclaim. It introduces readers to the literary, philosophical, and political contexts crucial to understanding Wordsworth's poetry, offering fresh approaches for reading his most important poems in light of recent developments in literary studies while also spotlighting traditional ones. This guide explores the reasons why Wordsworth continues to be the leading figure of British Romantic literature. It is an indispensable guide to studying Wordsworth's poetry, language, contexts and criticism. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text.They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

"Very much in the spirit of Wordsworth himself - who famously remarked that he wished 'either to be considered as a Teacher, or as nothing' - Daniel Robinson has here taught us anew how to read Wordsworth's poetry. Judiciously balancing attention to such larger contexts as intellectual history, politics, and posthumous reputation with consideration of such discrete matters as style, language, and form, Robinson presents a fully realized overview of the poet as well as the poetry. Integral to the strength of the volume is the long central chapter, 'Reading Wordsworth's Poetry, ' in which Robinson offers careful, nuanced readings of the poetry of the 'great decade' (1797-1807), all the while locating this work in conversation with Dorothy Wordsworth, Coleridge, Hazlitt, and others. Robinson's guide will be essential reading not only for first-time readers, but also for returning students and scholars in search of a clear presentation and penetrating analysis of Wordsworth's greatest poetry."

Daniel Robinson is Professor of English at Widener University, USA. The author of numerous articles on Romantic poetry, he also is the editor of Mary Robinson's Poems (Pickering and Chatto, 2009), co-editor of Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads and Related Writings (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), and co-editor of A Century of Sonnets: The Romantic-Era Revival (Oxford, 1999).