Burden of the Past and the English Poet

by Walter Jackson Bate

In this reissue of a classic work in modern literary criticism, W. Jackson Bate presents a thoughtful and informed investigation of the responses of English writers to the perennial dilemma of modern literature.The Burden of the Past and the English Poet concentrates especially onthe period between 1660 and 1830-the first period to face the burden of the past on a largescale-but making continual applications to the present day.

Genres: Literary Criticism

141 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Literary critic Walter Jackson Bate twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, first for his work on the Romantic poet John Keats, and later for that on lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson.

Reviews

[Pseudonym]

Surprisingly decent. Really dull toward the end, though. I liked it for its applications, and less for its specificity - unfortunately for me the last section was mostly about "the English poet."

[Richard Epstein]

Fascinating book on a fascinating subject--and it's short, too.

[Melissa]

Harvard 1983