Reading Guides to Long Poems – serie

Introduces a Renaissance masterpiece to a modern audience.This Guide will help new readers to understand and enjoy The Faerie Queene, drawing attention to its various ironies, its self-reflexive construction, its visual emphasis and the timeless ethical, political, and literary questions that it asks of all of us. The book includes key selections from the poem (each accompanied by a headnote, commentary and glosses), historical and critical discussions, teaching and learning plans and a guide to further resources in electronic and print media.Key Features* Contains substantial selections from The Faerie Queene * Provides an integrated introduction to Spenser's life, the intellectual and historical context of his writing and the poem's critical reception* Includes a range of suggestions for teaching and learning about the poem, both in formal seminars and through independent study* Contains a bibliography of further resources, including a list of editions, a list of key critical studies of the poem and a selection of useful websites

Introduces new readers and students to a celebrated and controversial Victorian novel-poemMichele Martinez guides readers through the poem's major themes and literary and socio-cultural contexts, introducing a range of interpretive frameworks. Long extracts from the poem are accompanied by helpful explanatory commentary. The text's composition history, major influences and modes of poetic expression are also discussed. The teaching and bibliographic chapters offer supplementary materials including print and internet resources.Key Features *Ideal guide for readers coming to the text for the first time, or teaching the text at University level * Fully contextualised and annotated sections of the poem* Detailed exploration of key themes: poetic vision; love and poetry; epistolary fiction; epic and society; motherhood and sexual transgression; poetry and prophecy* Innovative teaching suggestions * Advice and guidance for further reading

Introduces new readers and students to a celebrated and controversial Victorian novel-poemMichele Martinez guides readers through the poem's major themes and literary and socio-cultural contexts, introducing a range of interpretive frameworks. Long extracts from the poem are accompanied by helpful explanatory commentary. The text's composition history, major influences and modes of poetic expression are also discussed. The teaching and bibliographic chapters offer supplementary materials including print and internet resources.Key Features *Ideal guide for readers coming to the text for the first time, or teaching the text at University level * Fully contextualised and annotated sections of the poem* Detailed exploration of key themes: poetic vision; love and poetry; epistolary fiction; epic and society; motherhood and sexual transgression; poetry and prophecy* Innovative teaching suggestions * Advice and guidance for further reading

Noam Reisner leads readers through the complexities of Milton's celebrated and challenging narrative poem as well as introducing them to the key critical views. The guide combines an introduction to the poem's main thematic and stylistic concerns together with discussion of important selected passages (substantial extracts from the text are included) and provides readers with a basic set of critical tools with which to interpret the text.Key Features * Detailed discussion of select passages from the poem divided into three interrelated sections - 'concepts and themes', 'style and form' and 'historical-political context' -for easy reference * Provides a general guide to teaching the text - first time teachers will find many suggestions for teaching as well as templates for teaching the poem in different course formats.* Up-to-date annotated bibliography

A fresh and exciting approach to this great work of classical literatureHenry Power provides an overview of the whole poem, key extracts from the text and detailed commentary of crucial moments in the poem. Readers are encouraged to consider both the oral origins and the rich literary reception of this early epic whilst responding to core themes within it. Key Features* Aimed at new readers coming to the poem for the first time and those teaching it at universities alike* Includes innovative teaching strategies for engaging students with the poem

Introduces Tennyson's famous elegy to first-time readers, students and teachers of the poem.In Memoriam is one of the most famous and influential poems of the 19th century. Composed over nearly three decades and spanning over 100 sections, it is one of the longest elegies in the English language. It is at once a deeply personal description of grief and a wide-ranging discussion of its age.This guide provides:• The full text of the poem;• Information about its cultural, historical and literary contexts;• Four different reading strategies for approaching the text;• Suggested seminar activities, assessments and module outlines for teachers and lecturers