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The Oxford Anthology of English Poetry: Volume II: Blake to Heaney

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This is a fantastic collection of poetry from the British isles only poetry can describe. From Blake to Burns to Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, Browning, Rossetti, Tennyson, Yeats, T. S. Eliot to W. H. Auden, the names goes on. All the famous poets from Blake onwards are included, some with a few poems, some with many. It really depends on each's influence and what the editor has picked.

This anthology is not so much a collection for study but rather for general reading or introduction to the various English poets, or for reference. Most of each poets' famous poems are included and it's impossible to list (for each person's preference is different). Still, if you've always wanted to read poems from the English poets, this one's a good start. The variety is astonishing, and it's really fascinating to see how each poet writes in what style.

Not to forget the 'lesser' poets though, there are some lesser known English poets with only one poem assigned to them but the editor picks them well. Like Oscar Wilde's 'Easter Day' for example, you may discover some surprises. It is simply one of the most comprehensive general English poetry collection from the Romantic period onwards. A great collection given that English poetry reached it's zenith during this period.