The Penguin Book of Poetry of the Thirties
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Author Description
Auden, Day, Lewis, Spender, MacNeice and the other key poets of the 'Thirties' were children of the First World War, obsessed by war and by communalism, by the class-struggle and a passionate belief in poets as people whose actions are as publically important as their poems. For them, the Spanish Civil War epitomized the mood of the times, as their symbolic obsessions were transmuted into tragic reality. But from within their strongly defined unity of ideals, an astonishingly varied body of poetry emerged. Robin Skelton has arranged the poetry to make an illuminating 'critical essay' of the period, and in his introduction he brilliantly probes the moods and mores of an intensely troubled and creative decade.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This collection investigates the core question of how the socio-political anxieties of the 1930s shaped the aesthetic and thematic output of a generation of British poets. Robin Skelton, a scholar and poet, curates this anthology to demonstrate how the shadow of the First World War and the onset of the Spanish Civil War influenced the collective consciousness of writers like Auden, Spender, and MacNeice. He argues that despite a shared commitment to communalism and political engagement, these poets produced a diverse range of stylistic expressions that defined the decade.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A curated selection of poetry from major figures of the 1930s British literary scene.
- An extensive critical introduction analyzing the cultural and political climate of the era.
- Thematic arrangements that highlight the transition from symbolic obsession to historical reality.
Scope Limits
- The collection focuses primarily on the British poetic tradition and does not provide an exhaustive international survey of 1930s verse.
- It emphasizes the political and public-facing aspects of the work rather than purely private or experimental lyricism.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Critics and scholars frequently cite this anthology as a definitive resource for understanding the intersection of political activism and poetic form during the interwar period. Readers often note that Skelton's introduction provides a necessary framework for navigating the complex ideological shifts present in the poems.
Page Count:
304
Publication Date:
1985-07-02
Publisher:
Penguin Classic
ISBN-10:
0140079599
ISBN-13:
9780140079593
Poetry
Literary Criticism
Poetry
Anthology
British literature
20th Century
