The Heath Introduction to Poetry

Book excerpt: This affordable, chronologically arranged anthology features more than 500 poems written between the eighth century and the present. Multiple works by major poets allow students to compare different poems by the same author. The overall theme of the book asserts that poetry is a crafted art that is either molded by, added to, or reacting against tradition. A Brief History essays throughout the book discuss the social and cultural contexts of poems, major developments in the history of poetry, and technical literary terms.