Literatures in English: British Poets
Contents by Poet
Click the names below to scroll to their section in the guide.
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
More sources:
British Poet Resources
This guide lists resources specifically directed at the British poets listed below. In many cases, the general resources listed in other areas of this guide will be essential to your research-- for example, the MLA International Bibliography for secondary literature and WorldCat for a comprehensive search of books worldwide. This page is intended to quickly guide you to specialized resources that might otherwise take numerous searches to find. Use the contents list on the left to quickly reach the resources for your chosen poet.
First, here are a few useful reference sources for poets and poetics:
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics is an extensive and standard reference. Students can download a copy of the 4th edition here, or search it as a digital reference resource here.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new windowThe OED: provides authoritative definitions of over 500,000 words, traces the usage of words from their first recorded occurrence to the modern period through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international language sources, and offers etymological analysis and detailed listings of variant spelling.
Presented by the Hobby Foundation Endowment Fund. - Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2000.
- Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new windowThis database contains many essays explaining individual poems, as well as other literary topics.
- Prosody and Meter: Early Modern to 19th Century, from Oxford BibliographiesUse this guide to access works and primary texts on the history of the study of versification in English.
- Representative Poetry OnlineThis is a searchable web anthology of 4800 poems, based on a classroom anthology used at the University of Toronto for many years. Includes a glossary, timeline and other useful resources.
Latin Precursors
The primary texts below are from the Loeb Classical Library, digital edition, which shows the original-language text facing a prose English translation.
- Oxford Classical Dictionary This link opens in a new windowGuide to all aspects of the ancient world.
- Brill's New Pauly This link opens in a new windowEnglish edition of the reference work Der Neue Pauly, which covers Greek, Roman and other ancient cultures.
- L'Annee Philologique This link opens in a new windowL'Annee Philologique is a bibliography of classical languages and literature. Subscription is for unlimited users.
- Classics - Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new windowAnnotated, evaluative bibliographies on numerous aspects of classical literature and scholarship.
- Oxford Bibliographies, British and Irish Literature: Geoffrey ChaucerA thematically organized bibliography of Geoffrey Chaucer, from the perspective of British and Irish Literature. Great starting point for further research with links and commentary.
- Oxford Bibliographies, Medieval Studies: Geoffrey ChaucerA thematically organized bibliography of Geoffrey Chaucer, from the perspective of Medieval Studies. Great starting point for further research with links and commentary.
The Oxford Companion to Chaucer by ISBN: 9780198117650Publication Date: 2003-12-11With over 2,000 entries from an international team of scholars, this new Oxford Companion provides a wealth of clear, up-to-date assessments on all aspects of Chaucer.
- The Cambridge Companion to ChaucerChapter overviews of key aspects of Chaucer and Chaucer studies.
- LION Author Page for Geoffrey ChaucerLION includes the Oxford text of the late 1800s, criticism, and links to reference works.
- The Open Access Companion to the Canterbury Tales"The Open Access Companion to the Canterbury Tales (OACCT) is a volume of introductory chapters for first-time, university-level readers of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The chapters have been created and edited by professional scholars of Chaucer."
- Visualizing Chaucer"Visualizing Chaucer documents through a bibliography and numerous images the history of illustrations of Chaucer’s works." From the University of Rochester Robbins Library.
- The Canterbury Tales: BBC adaptationsModern-day adaptations of 6 Canterbury Tales by the BBC. In the Films on Demand database.
Geoffrey Chaucer in Context by ISBN: 9781139565141Publication Date: 2019-06-24"This volume provides freshly illuminated access to Chaucer's writing through an unrivalled repertoire of contextual information and perspectives designed to enhance the independence and critical capacities of his modern readers."
Geoffrey Chaucer: Volume 1: 1385-1837 : the Critical Heritage by ISBN: 9780415133982Publication Date: 1996-03-05Collects reviews and reactions from Chaucer's contemporaries and historical readers.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Volume 2: 1837-1933 : the Critical Heritage by ISBN: 9780415133999Publication Date: 1996-03-05From Historic Literary Criticism. Collects reviews and reactions to Chaucer's work from historical readers.
- KnowledgeNotes Student Guides for ChaucerAccess student-friendly guides to the General Prologue, Miller's Tale, and Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale.
- Collected Poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt byPublication Date: 1969On the LION platform. Original spelling edition, also available in print (see https://onesearch.library.rice.edu/permalink/01RICE_INST/11atd6j/alma991017422909705251).
Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems by Call Number: PR2400.A5 R4 1981ISBN: 0300026889Publication Date: 1981Print edition, from Yale University Press. See the Oxford Bibliographies entry for more editions.
- The Complete Works of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, Vol. 1: Prose. Jason Powell (ed.)Wyatt's prose. On the Oxford Scholarly Editions Online platform.
- Thomas Wyatt: The Critical HeritageHistoric responses and criticism of Wyatt's work, from the 16th-20th centuries.
- Oxford Bibliographies: Thomas WyattAnnotated bibliography of works by and about Wyatt by Chris Stamatakis. Excellent starting point for research.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Sir Thomas WyattBiographical essay by Colin Burrow.
- "The Book of Sir Thomas Wyatt" ManuscriptFrom the British Literary Manuscripts database, this is the British Library's Egerton MS 2,711, described as the most important manuscript source for Wyatt's poems (see https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/book-of-sir-thomas-wyatt). The British Literary Manuscripts database contains six additional manuscript sources for Wyatt (and many other poets).
- John Donne Scholarly Editions in Oxford Scholarly Editions: Early Seventeenth Century PoetrySeveral major editions of Donne's poetry by editors including Helen Gardner, W. Milgate and Herbert J.C. Grierson, with notes and authoritative texts.
The Cambridge Companion to John Donne by ISBN: 9781139000925Publication Date: 2006-11-28Sixteen essays, written by an international array of leading scholars and critics, cover Donne's poetry (erotic, satirical, devotional) and his prose (including his Sermons and occasional letters). Providing readings of his texts and also fully situating them in the historical and cultural context of early modern England, these essays offer the most up-to-date scholarship and introduce students to the current thinking and debates about Donne, while providing tools for students to read Donne with greater understanding and enjoyment.
- John Donne, LION Author PageFrom Literature Online. Includes historical editions, recent criticism, reference articles and video performances of poems.
John Donne in Context by ISBN: 9781107338593Publication Date: 2019-04-26This book offers a comprehensive account of early modern life and culture as it relates to Donne's richly varied body of work.
- John Donne: The Critical HeritageFrom Historic Literary Criticism. Gathers reviews and reactions to Donne's work from his contemporaries and historic readers.
- John Donne Sermons Digital Collection"The text of this electronic archive is based on the ten-volume Sermons of John Donne, edited by George Potter and Evelyn Simpson and published by University of California Press between 1953-1962."
- A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning from JSTOR UnderstandingLink to articles in JSTOR referencing each line of this Donne poem.
- The Flea, from JSTOR UnderstandingLink to articles in JSTOR referencing each line of this Donne poem.
- Air and Angels from JSTOR UnderstandingLink to JSTOR articles referencing each line of this Donne poem.
- Literary Contexts in Poetry: John Donne's "To His Mistress Going to Bed""The essay deals with John Donne's poem "To His Mistress Going to Bed." The essay provides a synopsis of the poem and presents the context through an analysis of historical, religious, scientific & technological, societal and biographical information." From the Literary Reference Center.
- Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson Online This link opens in a new windowSearchable text of the complete works of the Renaissance writer Ben Jonson, including letters and unfinished works. Both modern and original spelling texts are available.
- Oxford Scholarly Editions Online: Ben Jonson's Poetry and ProseAccess the Herford, Simpson and Simpson edition of Jonson's complete poetry and prose. OSEO also contains multiple editions of the plays.
The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson by ISBN: 1139000152Publication Date: 2006-05-28This Companion brings together leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to provide an accessible and up-to-date introduction to Jonson's life and works. It represents an invaluable guide to current critical perspectives, providing generous coverage not only of his plays but also his non-dramatic works.
- Oxford Bibliographies, Renaissance and Reformation: Ben JonsonAuthor James P. Bednarz. Gathers and evaluates key works on many aspects of Jonson's life and writings.
- Oxford Bibliographies, British and Irish Literature: Ben JonsonAuthor Brandon Schneeburger. Gathers and evaluates key works on Jonson. Includes a section on his poetry.
- Ben Jonson: The Critical HeritageExplore criticism and responses to Jonson by his contemporaries and later historical readers.
The Ben Jonson Encyclopedia by Call Number: PR2630 .B76 2016ISBN: 0810890755Publication Date: 2016-04-15Available in print and ebook formats. "Cross-referenced entries include summaries of all Jonson's plays, masques, and entertainments, as well as sketches of Jonson's friends, enemies, patrons, disciples, actors, and fellow writers. In addition, the book identifies historical figures, mythological characters, and classical authors, as well as Jonson's contemporaries and London place names mentioned in the works. Individuals who danced or participated in the masques and entertainments or tournaments for which Jonson wrote speeches are noted, as are the main actors known to have acted in the plays. All major scholars--from Jonson's own day until the twenty-first century--who have commented on Jonson or his works are also included. An extensive bibliography completes this invaluable scholarly reference tool."
- The Ben Jonson Journal: BJJ"The Ben Jonson Journal is devoted to the study of Ben Jonson and the age and culture in which his manifold literary efforts thrived. Topics covered include poetry, theatre, criticism, religion, law, the court, the curriculum, medicine, commerce, the city, and family life, as well as the manifestation of these topics and other interests in Renaissance life and culture."
- LION Author Page: Robert HerrickIncludes recent criticism, primary texts, poem performances, and Cambridge Companion chapters related to Herrick.
- The John Milton Reading Room"The John Milton Reading Room: the complete poetry and selected prose of John Milton, with introductions, research guides, and hyperlinked annotations. Thomas H. Luxon, General Editor © Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1997-2016. "
- ProQuest Study Guides: Paradise LostNotes and explanations for the poem, aimed at the student reader (formerly KnowledgeNotes).
- John Milton Vol. 1 1628-1731: the Critical HeritageHistoric reviews and responses to Milton's work. Volume 1 of 2.
- John Milton, Oxford BibliographiesAnnotated sources for key aspects of Milton's life and works.
- The Cambridge Companion to Milton, 2nd ed.Overview chapters on Milton's life and work by well-known Milton experts.
- Paradise Lost, ed. Helen Darbishire, from Oxford Scholarly Editions OnlineView authoritative text and notes in a browser-friendly side by side format.
Milton: Paradise Lost by ISBN: 9781317865735Publication Date: 2014-07-22"Alastair Fowler's Paradise Lost is widely acknowledged to be the most authoritative edition of this compelling work. An unprecedented amount of detailed annotation accompanies the full text of the first (1667) edition, providing a wealth of contextual information to enrich and enhance the reader's experience. " Downloadable ebook.
- The Cambridge Companion to Andrew Marvell"Andrew Marvell is one of the greatest English lyric poets of the seventeenth century and one of its leading polemicists. This Companion brings a set of fresh questions and perspectives to bear on the varied career and diverse writings of a remarkable writer and elusive man."
- The Oxford Handbook of Andrew Marvell"Featuring forty-three original essays by Marvell scholars and historians of the period, it addresses new directions in Marvell studies, including recent archival discoveries and current critical issues. Furthermore, it supplies the historical and contextual information that will help readers to understand and appreciate this complex and inscrutable figure."
- Oxford Bibliographies: Andrew MarvellAn annotated guide to works by and about Marvell.
- Marvell StudiesAn open access online journal featuring "the leading edge of research on Andrew Marvell, his texts and readers, words and worlds."
- Litearture Online (LION) Author Page: Andrew MarvellIncludes the text of his 1681 Miscellaneous Poems, articles, reference materials, video readings and more.
- Poems of Andrew Marvell from Oxford Scholarly EditionsAuthoritative texts and notes on the poems. The Poems and Letters of Andrew Marvell, Vol. 1: Poems (Third Edition), edited by H. M. Margoliouth and Pierre Legouis (1971; 2013)
- Andrew Marvell: The Critical HeritageHistoric criticism and reviews of Marvell's work.
- To His Coy Mistress introduction"A brief synopsis and critical analysis of Andrew Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress." from Masterplots in the Literary Reference Center.
- The Works of Aphra Behn: electronic editionThe online version of the Pickering and Chatto edition in 7 volumes, edited by Janet Todd. Use the menu on the left to find individual works, or use the search box on the left to find keywords in the volume or collection.
- The Cambridge Companion to Aphra BehnChapter overviews of key areas of Behn's work and scholarship about her, with further reading and bibliographies. Ed. Derek Hughes and Janet Todd, 2004.
- ABO (Aphra Behn Online): Interactive Journal for Women and the ArtsThe open access journal of the Aphra Behn Society, this peer-reviewed publication "focuses on gender and women’s issues, and all aspects of women in the arts in the long eighteenth century, especially literature, visual arts, music, performance art, film criticism, and production arts."
- JSTOR Understanding: OroonokoThis JSTOR Labs tool allows you to link from passages in the text of Oroonoko directly to articles in JSTOR that quote that passage. JSTOR Understanding also includes a memoir of Aphra Behn at https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.rice.edu/understand/work/aphra-behn
- Oxford Bibliographies: Aphra BehnThematically organized bibliography of Aphra Behn, with links and commentary. A good starting point for further research. By Margarete Rubik.
- John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester from Oxford BibliographiesAn annotated guide to works by and about Rochester.
- Rochester author page in Literature Online (LION)Includes criticism, reference works, and texts of the poems.
- The Works of John Wilmot Earl of Rochester from Oxford Scholary EditionsAuthoritative texts and notes on the poems. Ed. Harold Love, 1999, 2013.
- Earl of Rochester: The Critical HeritageHistoric criticism, reviews and responses to Rochester's work.
- The Poems of Jonathan Swift from Oxford Scholary EditionsBrowse this list of editions to access the 3 volumes of Swift's poetry ed. Harold Williams (1958, 2013) with authoritative texts and notes.
- Jonathan Swift: The Critical HeritageHistoric reviews, criticism, and responses to Swift's work.
- The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan SwiftExpert overviews of various aspects of Swift's life and work.
- Jonathan Swift from Oxford BibliographiesAn annotated guide to works by and about Swift.
- The Correspondence of Jonathan Swift. Electronic Edition.The definitive edition of Swift's correspondence, in the Past Masters collection. Swift, Jonathan. Correspondence. Edited by Harold Williams. 5 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963-65.
- Literature Online (LION) Author Page for Jonathan SwiftContains various digital texts, criticism and reference works for Swift.
- Online Swift"Online.Swift is an open access critical online edition of the Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, with introductions and variorum commentaries."
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Alexander PopeLists and annotates key scholarship on Pope's life and works.
- The Cambridge Companion to Alexander PopeThis essay collection covers important aspects of Pope's life and work with survey articles by recognized Pope scholars.
- Alexander Pope: The Critical HeritageCritical reception of Pope's work through the 18th century.
- Liteterature Online (LION) Author Page: Alexander PopeIncludes much full text by Pope in searchable, 20th-century editions, as well as criticism and reference works.
- Knowledgenotes Student Guides: The Rape of the LockStudent-friendly notes and explanations for the poem by Pope.
- The Correspondence of Alexander PopeFrom the Past Masters database, the 5-volume Oxford UP, George Sherburn edition of Pope's letters.
- Prose, Verse and Letters from Oxford Scholarly Editions OnlineBrowse the De Selincourt and Harbishire editions of the poems, as well as other works in scholarly editions from Oxford UP.
- Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth and ColeridgeDownloadable (through Taylor & Francis) edition of the Lyrical Ballads, ed. Brett and Jones.
The Cambridge Companion to Wordsworth by Call Number: PR5888 .C27 2003ISBN: 1139815911Publication Date: 2003Available in print and online formats. Wide-ranging account of Wordsworth and related scholarship, with references and guides to reading.
- The Cambridge Companion to 'Lyrical Ballads'Available in print and online. "Provides a comprehensive overview of current approaches to Lyrical Ballads, enabling readers to find fresh ways of understanding and responding to the volume."
- The Collected Letters of the WordsworthsDigital edition of William, Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth's letters and journals.
- William Wordsworth in ContextAvailable in print and online. Essays show the poet's engagement with his era's political and cultural movements.
- William Wordsworth: The Critical HeritageReview reactions to Wordsworth by his contemporaries and later historical readers.
- Oxford Bibliographies: William WordsworthReview key scholarship on Wordsworth and his writings. By Simon Bainbridge.
- Alfred Tennyson from Oxford BibliographiesIntroduction to key sources and the history of Tennyson scholarship. Great starting point.
- Tennyson Archive at Cambridge Digital LibraryView excellent images of many Tennyson manuscripts. Includes a video on the main In Memoriam manuscript source.
- In Memoriam, from Oxford Scholarly Editions OnlineRich notes and authoritative text for the poem.
- Tennyson: A Selected Edition, ed. Christopher RicksA Longman Annotated edition. "Very useful one-volume student edition with full editorial apparatus. Includes appendices of variant drafts and contents listing for the complete edition" (Matthews, Oxford Bibliographies). Fully downloadable PDF.
- Lord Alfred Tennyson: The Critical HeritageRead historical criticism and reactions to Tennyson by his contemporaries and early readers.
- The Letters of Alfred Lord TennysonDigital edition of the complete three-volume set of Tennyson's letters edited by Cecil Lang and Edgar Shannon.
Shakespeare's Othello
This list will include Othello-specific resources. For a wide selection of Shakespeare resources please review the sections of the Shakespeare page in this guide.
- Othello, from the New Oxford Shakespeare OnlineAuthoritative text and notes.
- KnowledgeNotes Student Guide: OthelloSummaries and explanations of the play, directed at students.
- Shakespeare's Globe on Screen: OthelloA filmed live production of Othello at the recreated Globe Theatre in London.
- The National Theatre Collection: OthelloA filmed live production starring Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear.
- Othello with David HarewoodA one-hour documentary on Othello, featuring performance clips and commentary.
- KnowledgeNotes Student Guides: To the LighthouseNotes, summaries and explanations of the novel for students.
- The Cambridge Companion to To the LighthouseExpert overviews of the novel and its context.
- Virginia Woolf in ContextFrom the Cambridge UP Literature in Context series.
- The Cambridge Companion to Virginia WoolfExpert overviews of Woolf's life and work.
- Virginia Woolf: The Critical HeritageHistoric reviews and responses to Virginia Woolf and her work.
Magazines and Newspapers
The magazines and newspapers below often feature poetry or articles on poets. For literary magazines, which feature primarily new works of poetry, fiction and/or nonfiction, see the Literary Magazine tab of this guide.
Magazines and Newspapers
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Websites:
- Poets.org LibrariesThis site from the Academy of American Poets includes much full text of poetry, biographies, essays, and other material.
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