Choice Review

The "Cambridge Companions to Literature" series has become a standard resource for excellent introductions to various authors, topics, genres, and periods. This collection covers 18 major English poets from Chaucer to Philip Larkin, offering substantive essays by recognized authorities--for example, David Bevington (who writes on Shakespeare), J. Hillis Miller (Robert Browning), Achsah Guibbory (John Donne), and Marjorie Perloff (D. H. Lawrence). One will find here solid interpretation and synthesis. All of the essays provide a helpful overview of the authors' works, including the major poems, while veering away from eccentric or revolutionary readings and instead representing prevailing scholarship; many offer biographical and historical context. Bevington, for example, points out that Shakespeare's early reputation was based entirely on his lyric poems rather than on his plays; he focuses on the lyric and narrative poetry, but also adroitly dips into the plays. A valuable resource for those reading these poets for the first time, and a thorough overview and reminder of literary trends and history for more veteran readers. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. J. P. Baumgaertner Wheaton College (IL)