In this incisive volume Siler traces the uneasy relationship between the content of Keats' poems and social history. In the process, he discovers that the early poems are linked with the mission statement of the radical journal Annals of the Fine Arts, whilst the poems after Endymion reveal a poet more concerned with the nature of poetic representation--its why and wherefore.

Excerpts from criticism of the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers and other creative writers who lived between 1800 and 1900, from the first published critical appraisals to current evaluations.

A phenomenon in Britain, this passionate collection of 500 contemporary poems has tremendous appeal for poetry lovers and novices alike.

Keat's ideal of negative capability, which he defined as letting the mind be a thoroughfare for all thought, is the subject of much recent criticism. These 18 essays published since 1965 by both British and American scholars focus on this and other broad aspects of study: Keats's degree of intellectual vigour, his philosophy and his current relevance. Seven contributions are original excerpts from studies in progress, presenting new historical evidence on the poet's major influences, his involvement in medicine and in his primary social and gender biases.

This is the first one-volume reference book to organize & discuss literature by topic rather than alphabetical order, providing information in a reader-friendly format.

Teachers of English literature, music and multicultural studies will find this to be an invaluable source for supplementary reading and writing lessons on personal narrative, history, drama and poetry. Diverse methods of inspiring students to write through readings of African American literature--from all over the Americas--include exercises using the poetry of Nobel laureate Derek Wolcott, Aimée Césare, Gwendolyn Brooks, James Baldwin, Rita Dove, Bob Kaufman, Nikki Giovanni, and Langston Hughes. Exercises stressing the musical influence on jazz and blues poetry, and the resultant use of lyric poetic devices, also fortify this collection. Included are student samples, a select bibliography, and a brief discography.