British Poetry 19th century--481 - CD William Flesch the Facts on File Companion to British poetry, 19th Century

Sep 18, 2026

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The Facts on File companion to 19th century British poetry by William Flesch presents accounts of major and significant minor poems from Adonais to The Zilver-Weed, alongside discussion of how these works can be interpreted to make them as good as possible. It situates nineteenth-century poetry within shifting historical, economic, social, political, and literary contexts, while outlining key guidance for reading and valuing poetry’s meaning and essence. The volume includes a-to-Z entries, appendixes such as a glossary and selected bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages481

Reading Time12 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

About this Book

Introduction

a-to-Z Entries

Appendixes

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Index

| the fact s on file | | --- | | C o m pa n i o n t o | British Poetry 19th century CD William Flesch the Facts on File Companion to British poetry, 19th Century copyright © 2010 William Flesch all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, inc. an imprint of infobase Publishing 132 West 31st street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Flesch, William, 1956– The Facts on File companion to 19th century British poetry / William Flesch. [p. cm](p. cm).—(companion to literature) includes bibliographical references and index. isBN 978-0-8160-5896-9 (alk. paper) 1. english poetry—19th century—history and criticism. i. Flesch, William, 1956– ii. Title. iii. Title: companion to 19th century British poetry. PR591 .F54 2009 821'.809—dc22 2008032028 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our special sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at [http://www.factsonfile.com](http://www.factsonfile.com) [Text design adapted by James scotto-lavino](Text design adapted by James scotto-lavino)[ ](Text design adapted by James scotto-lavino)cover design by salvatore luongo Printed in the United states of america VB hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper and contains 30 percent postconsumer recycled content. To my parents Contents CD aBout this Book vii introduction ix a-to-Z entries 1 aPPendixes i. Glossary 441 ii. selected BiBlioGraPhy 445 index 453 About this book CD This book offers accounts of a number of major poems as well as significant minor ones, from Adonais (major) to The Zilver-Weed (minor), by the very many major and significant minor poets of the 19th century. During the period, Britain probably produced more good poems than any other country in any other comparable period, and it is a pleasure to read them and to introduce them to other readers. Just to say so is to risk sounding polemical, so i should also say, straight out, that the book does have what might be taken, in the current climate, as a polemical purpose. i follow the american legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin’s maxim that every work of art, and thus every poem, should be interpreted so as to make it as good as it possibly can be. Of course, notions of what makes a poem“good” are subjective, but, nevertheless, the aim should be to understand what makes these poems valuable in themselves. Fortunately, 19th-century poetry is easy to value very highly because it is so indubitably marvelous. it also often treats the question of what makes poetry a good in itself in a world in which military conflict and science and industry are rapidly transforming cultures beyond recognition, and so it asks to be read according to some such maxim as Dworkin’s. Because most of the poems i discuss are probably included in anthologies, i should mention those i think are the best: harold Bloom and lionel Trilling’s sections on British romantic literature and Victorian literature in the Oxford Anthology of English Literature; Valentine cunningham’s The Victorians: An Anthology of Poetry and Poetics; christopher Ricks’s New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse; and isobel armstong, Joseph Bristow, and cath sharrock’s Nineteenth Century Women Poets: An Oxford Anthology. The online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is the first place to go for biographical information about the poets profiled here. Though not always perfectly accurate (it was a pleasure to send in minor corrections to dozens of entries, as i am

FAQs

What kinds of poems does the book cover?

It offers accounts of major poems and significant minor ones by many major and significant minor poets of the 19th century.

What interpretive approach does the author emphasize?

The author follows Ronald Dworkin’s maxim that every work of art should be interpreted so as to make it as good as it possibly can, aiming to understand what makes the poems valuable in themselves.

How is the book organized?

It includes a-to-Z entries, appendixes such as a glossary and selected bibliography, and an index, supported by the introductory material.

Sep 18, 2026

Upload by Aurora