The New Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry

The years following the American and French revolutions of 1776 and 1789 saw a matchless flowering of poetry, in which a new mood emerged. Romanticism was an exaltation of the imagination, a celebration of creativity and an expression of feeling in its most elevated form, which is at the root of our modern understanding of nature, beauty and love. Organised by themenbsp;and genre, this collection reveals unexpected connectionsnbsp;and shared preoccupationsnbsp;and allows us to see the Romantics in a fresh light.nbsp;Thus Blake, Wordsworthnbsp;and Shelley appear as masters of comedy; Burnsnbsp;and Byron speak of the relationship between man andnbsp;nature;nbsp;and Coleridge, Keatsnbsp;and Clare explore the Gothicnbsp;and surreal.nbsp; And the acknowledged genius of Blake's 'Tyger', Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan',nbsp;and Shelley's 'Ozymandias' is set alongside verse from less familiar figures, including a strong representation of women poets,nbsp;among themnbsp;Charlotte Smith, Felicia Hemans & Letitia Elizabeth Landon.