Five Seventeenth-Century Poets: Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell, Vaughan

By John Donne

This volume contains a very representative selection from the works of five leading seventeenth-century British poets: John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Henry Vaughan and Andrew Marvell. The general introduction reviews scholarship on the period since the beginning of the twentieth century and suggests a provocative and unusual way of approaching the works of these poets. The bibliography is full and up-to-date. The work of each poet is preceded by an introduction to his life and work, and the poems have been thoroughly annotated. The editor's notes and commentaries display high standards of scholarship and a knowledge of the latest critical thinking in the field. The book is likely to prove more useful--to the beginner as well as to the more advanced student--than any comparable anthology of seventeenth-century verse.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195628004
• ISBN13: 9780195628005
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Seventeenth-Century Poets Via India

This collection of major 17th-Century poetry is excellent for undergraduate students. The editor, Brijraj Singh, provides concise introductions to the period as well as to the poets, incorporating major criticism on all the poets. That's the good news. The bad news is that, for some reason, Oxford University Press warehouses these books in India and there are few new titles to be had in the US (The books ordered from O.U.P. took 3 months to arrive in Idaho.) Also a distraction for me and most of my students are the overly detailed, often unnecessary notes--probably useful for international students.

An excellent anthology!

I recommend this book to anyone interested in poetry. In Five Seventeenth-Century Poets: Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell, Vaughan, the author addresses metaphysical poetry. Brijraj Singh took a subject that I have often found cryptic and explained it exquisitely. His historical background on the poets and annotated poems put this beautiful poetry into a context that was easy to comprehend. Upon finishing the book, I have a greater understanding and appreciation of 17th century poetry. Mr. Singh wrote a superlative book!