On Modern Poetry From Theory to Total Criticism

All too often, the history of poetry criticism in the 20th Century is told as atale of two sides. While 'Lit crit' pored over the author's every line, 'Theory' stood on the shoulder of texts to gaze into the metaphysical mists. Drawing on the key insights of both Lit crit and Theory,On Modern Poetrytries to get beyond the oppositionbetween them, proposing instead a 'total criticism' that draws on all resources available.It combines 'analytic irony' with 'imaginative empathy' in orderto generate fresh insights. The themes discussed in the firstpart of the book include tradition, voice, rhyme, rhetoric, and objects,bringing in critics such as Eliot, Heidegger, Empson, Blackmur, and De Man. Thesecond part examines texts by Tennyson, Symons, Hopkins, Larkin and Prynne. An original exploration of poetry and its criticism,On Modern Poetryis an essential guide for readersand students at all levels.

Introduction \ Part I: Themes \ 1. Two or Three Genealogies for Modern Poetic Theory \ 2. Rhyme and Reason \ 3. The Object \ 4. ‘You Hear Voices? You Are Possessed!' \ 5. Rhetoric + Heidegger + Derrida \ Part II: Readings \ 6. Darkling \ 7. Fl... \ 8. Le Malade Imaginaire \ 9. Symons in the Decade of Decadence \ 10. For the Sake of a Single Poem \ Conclusion: Criticism and the Case of J. H. Prynne \ Bibliography \ Index.