Focusing on the seven longest poems by Stevens, the study offers an in-depth analysis of works such as "The Auroras of Autumn" and "An Ordinary Evening in New Haven." It explores thematic elements, stylistic choices, and the intricate interplay of imagery and language, providing insights into Stevens' poetic vision and contributions to literature. Through careful examination, the book highlights the complexity and richness of Stevens' poetry, making it a valuable resource for both scholars and enthusiasts.
Focusing on contemporary poetry in English, this book surveys works from regions that emerged as modern nations from the former British Empire. It caters to readers interested in world literature, postcolonial themes, and cultural studies, providing insights into the evolution of poetic expression in a postmodern context.
In all cultures and times, the poetic imagination has fed on the natural
attributes of islands. An island is either a destination, or a home, or a
place of exile and imprisonment, or simply a place to sojourn. It is an ideal
vehicle for journeys treated as allegories, or for acts of finding that turn
into acts of losing, or the reverse transformation. An island is not a
continent/yet it can be an archipelago. An island is both a place in itself
and a pretext for imaginings that need a local habitation and a name. It can
give relief, and pleasure/or it can frustrate, isolate, and negate. Above all,
it both invites and resists - or contains or constrains - the imagination.
Islands of Poetry explores how islands become repositories of human longings
and desires, a locus for some of our deepest fears and fantasies. It balances
historical and geographical reference with a selective approach to poems and
poets in English, and in translations into English. The study of particular
poems in which islands figure in exemplary ways is balanced by a more detailed
discussion of the poets who have played a major role in shaping human
responses to islands on a global scale.
