The History of English Poetry

by Peter Whitfield

Great poetry can indeed outlast stone and the glory of princes, and the English poetic tradition is perhaps the richest in the world. This ebook tells the story of that tradition through its towering figures – Spenser and Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden, Wordsworth and Tennyson, Whitman, Dickinson and Eliot – and through scores of other poets. Clear and accessible, blending criticism with imagination and illustrated with scores of quotations, this new history will delight all who care about the past and the future of English poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook

7 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Alice Visser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good survey of English poetry; by its nature it is too brief and selective, but to be honest it is still a bit overwhelming for someone like me whose major life experience with poetry was a fling the Romantics when I was 21 (gotta love the Romantics at that age!). The narration of the book is excellent and it was a pleasure to listen to.

[Aidan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview!

[Liam Guilar · Rating 2 out of 5]

7 cds, read by Derek Jacobi.
It's a fairly conventional survey of the history of English poetry, with few surprises.
After awhile the dogmatic statements (apparently only Scholars read medieval poetry) and dismissive attitude to whatever doesn't appeal to the writer's taste become tiresome. More poetry and less preaching would be welcome, but as a quick survey it's a fairly reliable introduction of the standard version of "The History of English poetry".

[Ruth Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of English (and American) poetry told with excerpts of each poet's work. Very clear and accessible, providing an understandable and exhilarating path through centuries of poetry.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a brief audiobook survey of the history of English Poetry from Beowulf to the Beats.

In about 8 hours, the narrator presents the Who's Who and Why They Matter of English Poetry with short excerpts to illustrate style.
The book is a "History," meaning that it is long on explanation and historical context and short on actual poetry. When excerpts of poetry are included, they are read by varying narrators appropriate to the poet's voice (Scottish or American accents if the poet is Scottish or American, a female narrator if the poet is a woman), and with Naxos' expectable quality.

The author's criticism is occasionally dry, speculative, or pompous - all faults which I consider unavoidable when analyzing poetry. Overall, what you're getting is a condensed university survey course of English Poetry with the idiosyncrasies that you would expect from an average professor. The author has his biases, but he doesn't leave anyone out.
The list of Who's Who is there, and your homework is to choose which of these periods or poets interest you and go read them on your own.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other reviewers hated that Peter Whitfield was damning about Dante and Ted Hughes. I don't mind. I'd rather an opinionated biographer than a bland one, especially as I choose to listen to multiple authors to get a mixture of perspectives.

I found this a helpful primer on English—this meaning both British and American—poetry, starting from Chaucer and moving up to Silvia Plath. With a focus on history, it gives some technical information on poetry, but doesn't dwell on it, making it easy to listen to as an audiobook.

[Isabelle Garvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!!! Covers the arc from Beowulf to modern times elegantly and concisely. Makes a vast and unwieldy subject accessible, and connects you to the development and emergence of different schools/styles / movements of poetry. A wonderful introduction to the history of poetry and the audiobook version contains fabulous narration and the inclusion of music pieces that reflect the times of particular poetry movements.

[Kaiwern · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely blended mixture of history and poetry, this one. Not too complicated, but gives a clear definition of periods, ages, and styles - if you want to know who the Romantics are, as opposed to the Augustans, this'll clear that right up for you, and explain what the markers of each 'type' of poetry is, along with examples from each of the most notable figures in each type, and each era. It's rather pleasing to be able to trace the development of poetry in the English language, as this does, from Beowulf (yes, I know), through Chaucer, to Milton, to Shakespeare, and on to Byron, Coleridge, Keats, Hughes, Betjeman etc. Also doesn't hurt at all that it's read by Derek Jacobi (although, who knew, he pronounces 'sensuous' as 'senzewous'). It feels like this was an effectively plotted, reasonably brisk journey through many of the high points in the history of poetry in English, and one I might take again some languid, retired Sunday afternoon. As I say, if you've got a big poetry gap in your life, it's worth checking out, both to finally understand who's who and what sort of thing they wrote, and to fire your hunger to experience them in a broader sense. Perhaps it's somewhat condescending towards some fairly major figures, like Longfellow ('like picture painting') and Plath ('her poetry and her life show a woman at the mercy of her own imagination'), but overall it's a pretty good summary. Give it a go.

[Duckpondwithoutducks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fairly standard overview of English poetry, though sometimes the criticisms of certain poems seem personal and not analytical. But, the narrator is Derek Jacobi, and that made me love listening to it - he has a rich and humourous voice.

[Philip Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starting point/reference and excellent catalyst.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a superb listen!

[Jordan Magnuson]

A useful survey with a good selection of excerpts. Makes some strange one-dimensional claims at times, but it's read by Derek Jacobi, so...