Modern Poems: An Introduction to Poetry

This Second Edition is a thorough, thoughtful revision of the acclaimed Modern Poems.

The editors have undertaken two major changes to the text, making the anthology a more useful resource in teaching the work of individual poets. Whereas the previous edition sometimes offered only a single poem by a given poet, the Second Edition presents at least three poems by each poet, with the few exceptions being poets with significantly long poems. The editors have also expanded the author headnotes to set forth one or two critical points that invite students into the poems.

Other noteworthy changes include the addition of 38 new poets representing a diversity of traditions, from canonical poets like Lewis Carroll to contemporary ones like Rita Dove, and more careful attention paid to ethnic poetry and poetry by women.

Richard Ellmann was Goldsmiths’ Professor at Oxford University and Woodruff Professor at Emory University. He achieved world fame for his biography of Joyce and wrote many scholarly and critical works, including two on Yeats.

Robert O’Clair was professor of English at Manhattanville College.