Poetry: The Basics

Now in its fourth edition, Poetry: The Basics remains an engaging exploration of the exciting and diverse world of poetry. Jeffrey Wainwright’s accessible introduction demystifies poetic forms and traditions, which can at first seem bewildering.

Drawing on examples ranging from Chaucer to children’s rhymes, Cole Porter to Dylan Thomas, and from around the English-speaking world, it shows how any reader can understand and gain pleasure from poetry. This comprehensive guide explores poetry’s relationship to everyday language and introduces major genres and technical aspects. Each chapter proceeds through chronological examples from a wide range of English language poems. They cover all the major genres with informative studies of metre, rhyme, and stanza, showing how these features have developed through traditional to contemporary forms like rap. The book also features an exhaustive glossary to help imbed these technical terms and approaches.

This clear and concise guide offers detailed insight into the nuts and bolts of poetry, as well as exploring its ability to inspire. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of poetry, whether as a reader, writer, or student.

Jeffrey Wainwright is a poet, translator, and critic. He taught at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Long Island University, Brooklyn, and most recently at Manchester Metropolitan University where he was Professor in the Department of English.