Abstract

Concentrating on the major works of Dofine, Marvell, Vaughan and Herbert, Richard Willmott has provided an anthology of metaphysical verse for readers coming to the poetry for the first time. Metaphysical poetry is notorious for its 'difficulty'; in this selection Richard Willmott provides detailed explanatory notes giving in depth information on the period, the poets and 'metaphysical style' and, to ensure a full understanding, line by line exegesis of the poems themselves is given where necessary. The anthology contains about 20-25 poems for each poet represented and a further section of other contemporary poetry which elucidates themes or approaches in the work of the four main poets in the collection and encourages readers to relate an individual poem to a broader context.