Product Description

The books in this A Level poetry series contain a glossary and notes on each page. The approach encourages students to develop their responses to the poems, and an A Level Chief Examiner offers exam tips. This text contains a selection of works by metaphysical poets, including Donne and Marvell.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #300339 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

Wonderful guide to timeless poetry
This anthology of poetry by the Metaphysical Poets provides a wealth of themes and poetic techniques for the reader to form a personal response. Having studied three of the Metaphysical Poets for A-level I found this book valuable. On the left pages of the book notes and tips were printed to run alongside the poem on the right pages. These notes guided me through my studies. However, they did not restrict my learning because frequent questions regarding images, language and the exploration of themes helped me form ideas of my own about each individual poem.

At the back of the book essay questions to stimulate exploration and discussion were found. These questions helped me to focus on each poem in depth. Other useful information was found about essay writing and about the life, works and times of the Metaphysical Poets.

Although this book is aimed at students studying the works of these poets, anyone can pick up this book and read it. The poems, if difficult to understand at first become clearer with the aid of the notes this book offers. Many of the themes and ideas explores in the poems are relevant to everyday life in this age, they are timeless. John Donne's poem mourning the death of his wife is sure to strike a note in readers who have lost a loved one. Or perhaps readers will understand Donne's fear of death in the 'Holy Sonnets'.

The Metaphysical Poets make clever use of wit. Their ability to say clever things in an intellectual manner surprises the reader and manages to capture their interest, as it probably did when the poems were first written. A brilliant book for students and anyone interested in the poetry of the sixteenth and seventeenth century.