The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs & Lyrical Poems in the English Language: From Shakespeare to Larkin
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Author Description
A classic anthology of British verse, Francis Turner Palgave's The Golden Treasury is an invaluable collection of the best-known and most widely celebrated poets of the British Isles. First published in 1861, the Treasury has been updated many times over the years. In this, the Fifth Edition, John Press includes a "Fifth Book" which greatly enriches the original collection with recent work. The anthology spans several centuries, from Spenser, John Clare, the Brownings, Shakespeare, Shelley, and Tennyson to Edward Lear, Phillip Larkin, Ted Hughes, Thom Gunn, Jon Silkin, T.S. Eliot, and many more. Complete with insightful, line-by-line notes, this volume will delight and inform both the student of literature and the general lover of poetry. The definitive introduction to the best of British verse, The Golden Treasury remains a testament to the richness of our native poetic language.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This anthology investigates the question of what constitutes the most significant and enduring lyrical poetry within the British tradition from the Elizabethan era to the mid-twentieth century. Francis T. Palgrave, a nineteenth-century critic and poet, established the original framework for this collection, which was later expanded by John Press to include modern voices. The work utilizes a chronological selection process to demonstrate the evolution of poetic form, meter, and thematic concerns across several centuries of English verse. By curating a specific canon, the text argues for the preservation of lyrical excellence as a foundational element of the English language.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A comprehensive selection of British lyrical poetry spanning from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century.
- Editorial commentary and line-by-line annotations for complex or archaic passages.
- A structured 'Fifth Book' addition that incorporates twentieth-century poets such as T.S. Eliot and Philip Larkin.
Scope Limits
- The collection focuses primarily on lyrical poetry and excludes epic, dramatic, or narrative verse forms.
- The selection reflects the editorial biases of the nineteenth-century Victorian aesthetic and the subsequent twentieth-century updates.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Critics and scholars recognize this volume as a foundational anthology that has shaped the academic canon of British poetry for over a century. Readers frequently note the density of the historical context provided in the notes, which serves as a standard reference for students of literature.
Page Count:
638
Publication Date:
1987-03-12
ISBN-10:
0192820354
ISBN-13:
9780192820358
Poetry
Anthology
Classic Literature
Literary Criticism
British literature