Customer Reviews

Understanding Robert Burns: Verse, Explanation and Glossary

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Wilkie introduces each poem with a brief paragraph explaining the context and themes of each work. Below that, Burns' poem is on the left, and Wilkie's explanation is on the right. Each difficult stanza is summarized, and a mini-glossary for the most difficult vocabulary right there where you need it. This is essentially a bilingual book, with poetry in Scots on the left and summaries and glossaries in English on the right. The in-line nature of the summary and vocabulary makes it easy to get just as much help as you need when reading, without having to consult a dictionary or even flip to the back of the book. I love books like this, and I am overjoyed at finding such a book for Burns' work. Too many people consider Scots a dialect of English because much of it is mutually comprehensible. Wilkie doesn't take a strong stand on the matter, but he treats the material as one should when translating between to closely related, but distinct, languages. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Burns, poetry, or the Scots language.

This book is a great tool to anyone newly interested in the Bard. It has helped me greatly in learning how to appreciate Robert Burns works.

This book is essential to understanding the literary giant that Burns was and the keen insight he had about mankind.This is the primar of the multitude of books devoted to him.

I bought this book as a gift for my brother, the history buff, and he really liked it. He has already recommended it to a few other people.