false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177799763m/733674.jpg 733674 5 <div><b>A wise, absorbing, and surprising introduction to poetry written in English, from one of England's leading poets</b><br><br>James Fenton is that rare scholar "not ashamed to admit that he mostly reads for pleasure" (Charles Simic, <i>The New York Review of Books</i>). In this eminently readable guide to his abiding passion, he has distilled the essense of a library's--and a lifetime's--worth of delight.<br><br>The pleasures of his own verse can be found in abundance here: economy, a natural ease, and most of all, surprise. What is English poetry? Fenton argues that it includes any recited words in English that marshall rhythm for their meaning--among them prisoners's work songs, Broadway show tunes, and the cries of street vendors captured in verse. From these beginnings, Fenton describes the rudiments of--and, most important, the inspiration for--the musical verse we find in books, and concludes with an illuminating discussion of operas and songs. Fenton illustrates his comments with verse from all over the English-speaking world.<br><br>Catholic in his taste, shrewd in his distinctions, and charmingly frank, Fenton is an ideal guide to everything to do with poetry, from the temperament of poets to their accomplishment, in all its variety. In all his writing, prose or verse, Fenton has always had the virtue of saying, in a way that seems effortless, precisely what lies at the heart of the matter. In this vein, <i>An Introduction to English Poetry</i> is one of his highest accomplishments.<br></div> 719862 2002 An Introduction to English Poetry total:16|5:3|4:4|3:9|2:0|1:0| 16 58 25 5 4 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Tue Aug 11 03:05:05 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 03:06:09 -0700 2009 The Pequod]]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 15:30:46 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 15:33:34 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sat Jul 05 00:23:36 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 05 00:29:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 true false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 27 14:07:00 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 27 14:08:56 -0700 2007
But Fenton is a good prose writer. Very enjoyable, if unuseful, book.]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 11:23:40 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 21 19:00:08 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 01:09:00 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 01:09:00 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Nov 07 01:04:05 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 20 21:50:39 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 05 00:27:43 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Oct 04 14:14:41 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 14:14:41 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jul 26 11:05:03 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 11:05:03 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jul 18 17:40:16 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 17:40:16 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 30 17:53:17 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 17:55:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 12 17:56:27 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 17:56:27 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Fri Aug 01 05:13:30 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 01 05:13:30 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Jul 29 10:55:50 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 29 10:55:50 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Jul 23 13:14:43 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 13:14:43 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Wed Jul 16 11:44:21 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 16 11:44:24 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Jul 07 19:14:38 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 09:35:54 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Tue Apr 15 22:04:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 22:04:03 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Mar 12 07:20:58 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 07:20:58 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 26 07:22:34 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 26 07:22:34 -0800 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=733674