This 1984 volume is a collection of essays written during the 1960s-1980s, by on

e of the greatest living critics of poetry. Upon reading Ricks s biography of Tenn
yson, W. H. Auden called Ricks exactly the kind of critic every poet dreams of fi
nding . But Ricks is also a brilliant writer too, with a fondness (some would say
weakness) for puns and wordplay of all kinds. He clearly has great fun pondering
the significance of a semi-colon or set of parentheses, or the meaning of a par
ticular image or word. This volume includes essays on, among others, medieval po
et John Gower, John Milton, Samuel Johnson, Geoffrey Hill, Stevie Smith, and
ind
eed, William Empson, author of our next book recommendation.