How to Study a Poet

Palgrave Study Guides: Literature

by John Peck

This practical reference for university and senior high school students shows how to read, understand and analyze poetry. Included are sections on narrative poetry and writing essays.

Genres: Poetry

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Maryam Samiei · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you wonder how to analyze a poem or a poet and how to start your argument I would gladly recommend this book to you.
Close reading of a text was a great gift given to us by new critics and should not be taken for granted.
I especially enjoyed the last chapter which encouraged the passive reader of poetry to start managing and structuring a critical essay.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt very similar to Practical Criticism, which is perhaps unsurprising given that John Peck worked on the other book too. This is purely about poetry, though, so if you want to focus on getting to grips with poetry, this is probably your better bet.