In this essay, I share reflections on what it meant to teach my book of poetry in an introductory English literature class. The book took inspiration from the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, particularly his studies on encountering the other person. Engaging with this text (both the poetry and the philosophy), I consider some of the nuances of a…

Argues that Wordsworth's emphasis on love of nature, faith in man, and political sympathy--three expressions of concern strongly echoed in contemporary life--make him a worth literary figure for young people to study. (RB)

The discussion questions and essay prompts in this collection were compiled from contributions made by participants in the 1991 Arizona Shakespeare-Milton Institute. After an introduction which presents some general guidelines for teachers and students, the collection addresses the following works: "As You Like It"; "The…

As a shrewd technician of the language, A. L. Tennyson rightly understood that words are not controllable; they do not always obey rules. As Tennyson said, words "half reveal and half conceal the soul within." In "Ulysses," the title character's speech to his fellow mariners--where he attempts to explain why he has decided to…

The Anglo-American Imagist movement, begun in England by Ezra Pound in 1909 and flourishing through 1918, claimed to have drawn inspiration from Chinese and Japanese poetic forms. The promoters of Imagism, which included Hilda Doolittle, John Gould Fletcher, Richard Aldington, and later, Amy Lowell and William Carlos Williams, were attempting to…

Higher and lower schools routinely take their cue from luminaries like NYU dean Catherine Stimpson, who famously opined that academic objectivity and intellectual rigor equal "mishmash." As a result, they feed students a diet of bland, uninspired readings. Carol Iannone is thus not surprised at the ensuing hand-wringing when the teaching…

It is general knowledge that John Milton, when he came to Cambridge, chose not to proceed into the official ministry of the church, but to dedicate his life instead to the calling of literature. If, indeed, Milton rejected the official ministry of the church, after completing the education leading to it, choosing to teach through poetry rather…

John Milton presented a wide spectrum of materials and ideas illuminating the literary landscape like a rainbow which critics and authors have been discussing for centuries. One example of the multiple layers of meaning in Milton's poems is found in Sonnet XIX, which can be useful for both forensic discussion as well as for composition…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Arthur Mizener, Wyndham Lewis, Hugh Kenner, R. P. Blackmur, Elizabeth Sewell, S. Musgrove, George L. K. Morris, F. R. Leavis, D. W. Harding, Allen Tate, Ezra Pound, William Empson, John Peter, Denis Donoghue, and Donald…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Helen Gardner, George Saintsbury, Herbert J. C. Grierson, Pierre Legouis, William Empson, Mario Praz, J. E. V. Crofts, C. S. Lewis, Cleanth Brooks, J. B. Leishman, Evelyn M. Simpson, Louis L. Martz, and A. J. Smith--all dealing…

This handout is a guide to library resources in the J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte for the criticism of poetry. The guide enables the reader to find sources of criticism on poetry, including critical articles and essays about single poems, or writings on the work of a single author. The guide's sections…

To encourage the teaching of British Commonwealth literature to American university students, a broad ranging survey course was designed in which the material was thematically organized. A great body of literature from the 13 countries was scrutinized in order to select 147 representative poems and short stories for an anthology. An effective…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by G. Wilson Knight, Bernard Blackstone, Mario Praz, Paul West, Guy Steffan, F. R. Leavis, W. W. Robson, Helen Gardner, George M. Ridenour, Edmund Wilson, Gilbert Highet, Bertrand Russell, and John Wain--all dealing with the…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Bernard Schilling, T. S. Eliot, Louis I. Bredvold, James M. Osborn, Reuben A. Brower, Edwin Morgan, Earl Wasserman, R. J. Kaufmann, Moody E. Prior, Earl W. Miner, Edward N. Hooker, E. M. W. Tillyard, John Hollander,…

Presents annotated music selections for augmenting English literature courses. (HTH)