The Lives of the Poets: A Selection (Oxford World's Classics)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.41 (593 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0199226741 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 592 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-31 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"Five Stars" according to Amazon Customer. excellent. To Walk with Circumspection in the Mean Path Lives of the English Poets is probably the only work of Johnson's likely to be read today beyond academic circles. Despite the fact that he was in his sixty-eighth year when he began the task of writing the lives of fifty-two poets of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, his `little Lives and little Prefaces' display a wealth of sparkle and critical insight. We can almost feel Johnson enjoying his fusion of precise fac. Samuel Johnson This book is vintage Johnson. He knew the human heart like few have ever done and to read him is to place oneself in the position of actually understanding oneself a little better. The Lives of the Poets does not disappoint.
It includes an engaging introduction, helpful notes, and an up-to-date bibliography. This selection--featuring the lives of eleven of the most important poets--draws from Roger Lonsdale's authoritative complete edition. Here is a substantial selection of Samuel Johnson's magisterial and unforgettable portraits of the lives of the English poets of the 17th and 18th centuries. Originally covering the lives of 52 poets, with the primary focus on Milton, Dryden, Swift, and Pope, Johnson's Lives was described by Thomas Gray as a "compendious story of a whole important age in English literature, told by a great man, and in a performance which is itself a piece of English literature of the first class." Unsentimental, opinionated, and quotable, The Lives of the Poets continues to influence the reputations of the writers concerned. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.. Its publication coincides with the 300th anniversary of Johnson's birth in September 1709.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe
`Review from previous edition 'Although it is hard to find words of sufficient praise for it, this is a great and classic edition' ' Henry Woudhuysen, The New Rambler`'my book of the decade' ' Brian Vickers, TLS`'a marvelous scholarly performance' ' Frank Kermode, New York Review of Books
John Mullan teaches at University College London.. Roger Lonsdale was formerly Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford