Written by world-renowned critic, Patricia Meyer Spacks, Reading Eighteenth-Century Poetry recaptures for modern readers the urgency, distinctiveness and rewarding nature of the poetry written in this period. Broadly chronological in structure, and incorporating close reading alongside astute contextual and historical detail, it exposes the multiplicity of forms, tones, and topics engaged by eighteenth-century poets. The book includes close analysis of poems by such well-known writers such as Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, as well as work by less familiar poets, including Stephen Duck and Mary Leapor. For those returning to eighteenth-century poetry, or delving into it for the first time, this is an essential guide to reading these challenging and powerful works of literature.

PATRICIA MEYER SPACKS is Edgar F. Shannon Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at the University of Virginia. She is the author of numerous books, and amongst other honors, was Vice President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 2001-2004.