Overview
English Poets of the Eighteenth Century surveys a period when English poetry was balancing classical ideals of order and reason with growing interest in emotion, nature, individuality, and imagination. Ernest Bernbaum introduces major poets and places their work within the literary culture that…
This title is catalogued in History & Civilization. Its reading profile is Medium and Moderate, with themes including history, ideas, beauty, learning, poetry.
One-Page Summary
English Poets of the Eighteenth Century surveys a period when English poetry was balancing classical ideals of order and reason with growing interest in emotion, nature, individuality, and imagination. Ernest Bernbaum introduces major poets and places their work within the literary culture that produced it. Eighteenth-century poetry is often reduced to “Augustan” wit, but the period is much more diverse. Satire, political writing, religious verse, nature poetry, elegy, and early Romantic tendencies all coexist. A good historical survey helps the reader see why styles changed.
Literary taste is connected to changing ideas about society, politics, education, morality, and the self. The result is a map of the century’s poetic conversation, useful both for readers meeting the poets for the first time and for anyone who wants to understand how the Romantic period emerged from earlier traditions.
Key Themes
History: This title is tagged with history as one of its main themes.
Ideas: This title is tagged with ideas as one of its main themes.
Beauty: This title is tagged with beauty as one of its main themes.
Learning: This title is tagged with learning as one of its main themes.
Poetry: This title is tagged with poetry as one of its main themes.