The Cambridge Companion to Robert Frost

by Robert Faggen (Editor)

Overview

This collection of specially-commissioned essays by experts in the field explores key dimensions of Robert Frost's poetry and life. Frost remains one of the most memorable and beguiling of modern poets. Writing in the tradition of Virgil, Milton, and Wordsworth, he transformed pastoral and georgic poetry both in subject matter and form. Mastering the rhythms of ordinary speech, Frost made country life the point from which to view the world and the complexities of human psychology. The essays in this volume enable readers to explore Frost's art and thought, from the controversies of his biography to his subtle reinvention of poetic and metric traditions and the conflicts in his thought about politics, gender, science and religion. This volume will bring fresh perspectives to the lyric, narrative and dramatic poetry of an American master, and its chronology and guide to further reading will prove valuable to scholars and students alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139815871
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/14/2001
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Literature
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

Table of Contents

1. The lives of Robert Frost Donald Sheehy; 2. Biography and the poetry of Robert Frost William Pritchard; 3. Frost and the question of pastoral Robert Faggen; 4. Frost and the ancient muses Helen Bacon; 5. Frost as a New England poet Lawrence Buell; 6. Meter and versification Timothy Steele; 7. Frost and metaphor Judith Oster; 8. Frost and the meditative lyric Blanford Parker; 9. Frost and poetic choice Mark Richardson; 10. Frost's politics George Monteiro; 11. Frost and economics Guy Rotella; 12. Human presence in Frost's poetry John Cunningham.

Editorial Reviews

"...a useful introduction to one of America's greatest poets." Virginia Quarterly Review

"A 20-page treatment of Frost's metrics and versification is one of the best of its kind... important and highly recommended." CHOICE

"has collected 12 commendable essays on a range of topics...important and highly recommended as a present-day collection for undergraduate, graduate students, and general readers." CHOICE Jan 2002

"Provide[s] fresh persepctives and new insights, which is why scholars nad students alike will find the essays both informative and stimulating." Zeitschrift fuer Anglistik und Amerikanistik

"I was impressed by the evenness of the work, the insightful and incisive quality of the articles, which together amount to a judicious and sensitive treatment of the poet and his poetry. One of the most notable achievements of the essays is the fact that one never forgets in reading through them that Frost was first and foremost a craftsman of verse...I also commend the volume for its dedication to revealing for us the historical Frost...The delicate art of petry and Frost's vital metaphorical imaginiation come alive in the Cambridge Companion, and close attention to the book can make us better readers not only of Frost's poetry but of all poetry." The Robert Frost Review 2002

From the Publisher