A Companion to Victorian Poetry

This Companion brings together specially commissioned essays by distinguished international scholars that reflect both the diversity of Victorian poetry and the variety of critical approaches that illuminate it. The volume opens with an introductory essay on Victorian poetics by Carol Christ that offers a commanding overview of the whole period. The remaining contributions are organized into three parts. The first surveys the variety of schools and styles in Victorian poetry; in the second, the focus shifts from the form and content of the poetry to the means of its production and distribution; the final part positions Victorian verse in its contexts and explores its interactions with dominant cultural discourses. The Companion as a whole does more than map the existing state of scholarship in the field; it sets out an agenda for future research.

Editors’ Preface. Chronology. Notes on Contributors. 1. Victorian Poetics: Carol T. Christ :. Varieties and Forms. Epic: Herbert Tucker. Domestic and Idyllic: Linda Peterson. The Lyric: Matthew Rowlinson. The Dramatic Monologue: E. Warwick Slinn. The Sonnet and Sonnet Sequence: Alison Chapman. Elegy: Seamus Perry. Hymn: J. R. Watson. Nonsense: Roderick McGillis. Verse Novel: Dino Felluga. Verse Drama: Adrienne Scullion. Working–Class Poetry: Florence Boos. The Classical Tradition: Richard Jenkyns. Arthurian Poetry and Medievalism: Anthony H. Harrison. Poetry in Translation: J.–A. George. Tractarian Poetry: Stephen Prickett. The Spasmodics: Richard Cronin. The Pre–Raphaelites: David Riede. Poetry of the 1890s: Chris Snodgrass. 2. Production, Distribution and Reception. The Market: Lee Erickson. Anthologies and the Making of the Poetic Canon: Natalie M. Houston. Reviewing Poetry: Joanne Shattock. Poetry and Illustration: Lorraine Janzen Kooistra. 3. Victorian Poetry and Victorian Culture. Nationhood and Empire: Margaret Linley. Poetry in the Four Nations: Matthew Campbell. Poetry and Religion: W. David Shaw. Poetry and Science: Alan Rauch. Landscape and Cityscape: Pauline Fletcher. Vision and Visuality: Catherine Maxwell. Marriage and Gender: Julia F. Saville. Sexuality and Love: John Maynard.

Richard Cronin teaches at Glasgow University. His publications include The Politics of Romantic Poetry (2000) and Romantic Victorians: English Literature 1824–1840 (2002) Antony H. Harrison teaches at North Carolina State University. His books include Victorian Poets and Romantic Poems ( 1990), Victorian Poets and the Politics of Culture (1998), The Culture of Christina Rossetti (1999), and The Letters of Christina Rossetti (4 vols, 1998–2004). Alison Chapman teaches at Glasgow University and is the author of The Afterlife of Christina Rossetti (2000), editor of Victorian Women′s Poetry (2003), and co–editor of Women and Italy in the Nineteenth Century (2002).

"Yet overall, and at its best, it provides what few critical books can offer: a highly readable, even rollicking account of the whole era, as variegated and lively as Victorian poetry itself." (Review 19, 2011) "[A] comprehensive, challenging picture of Victorian poetry emerges when reading the entire collection of essays.... A feast of information." ( Brontë Studies , November 2009) "The essays within are excellent. I think it an indispensable book. The essays address the multifariousness of Victorian poetry, and the variety of critical and theoretical issues; in addition, they give the reader a sense of the marketing and reception of the poetry." ( Studies in English Literature , Fall 2008) "Scholars will want to own this book.... Highly recommended." ( Choice ) "A rich diversity of distinguished and learned scholars, mostly from North America and the UK, have combined in this singularly impressive and important volume, to provide what for many might at first sight seem to be an almost impossible harvest: fresh and original essays on carefully selected aspects of the poetry of Victorian England." ( Reference Reviews ) "Nicely affordable for the wealth of insights contained therein. Contains some fresh research.... This companion will not sit on the shelf and collect dust, but [will] be useful for both scholarly and entertaining reading." ( English Literature in Transition) "Not only is the Companion brimming with fine arguments—there are far too many essays that warrant notice than can possibly be picked out in a short review—but it is also very well put together as a collection. Its clear table of contents and fulsome index make it easy to negotiate. Each essay is, moreover, followed by a generous list of references and suggested further reading." ( The Tennyson Research Bulletin )