P O E TR ! 8 L IF E S ERIE S GeneralEdttor WIL L IAM H EN R ! H UD S O N T ET H KE . n 1. A S AND HIS PO RY By W H udso OHNSON GOLDSMITH T E ET 2 . J AND AND H IR PO RY Hu By W. H. dson G OET Hudson 3. RAY AND HIS P RY By W. H. E E AND ET E E ds M dmun A. 4 . SH LL Y HIS PO RY By . W. , O E DGE OET 5. C L RI AND HIS P RY K th een Ro By a l E. yds 6 M TT E ARNOLD AND OET . A H W HIS P RY By Francis Bickl ey AND OET H E . n 7. LOW LL HIS P RY By W H udso B RNS ET Ke w M 8. U . A. AND HIS PO RY By H A llo , E E ET B E m t M . A. 9 SP NS R AND HIS PO RY y S ol , 0 MRS BROWNING E ET 1 . AND H R PO RY B K th een E Ro d y a l . y s M T OET 1 1 . IL ON AND HIS P RY TT ET A. E M B . A. 12. B . n SCO AND HIS PO RY y orga , 1 E Z ET T T E ET 3. LI AB HAN LYRIS S AND H IR PO RY By Amy Cruse TE O OET 14. NNYS N AND HIS P RY . B n B e A. n . By R riml y Joh so , ET lh D 1 . arn c MA. 5 BYRON AND HIS PO RY By i k, O GFE HIS ET 16. L N LLOW AND PO RY B h nt S MA F S e ton . A. y t a m a , , OE OET B h Lewza . C e 17. P AND HIS P RY y N as E ET B C M 18. h n A. HORAC AND HIS PO RY By J apma , O E AND OET E E mun M 1 . d ds 9 P P HIS P RY By W , A. BROWNING ET E t Rh 20 . AND HIS PO RY By rnes ys OR O T ET 2 1 . W DSW R H AND HIS PO RY H H . u By W. dson E AND ms ET w H S H. u 23 . CHILL R PO RY By . dson ETT AND ms ET Mrs. P . s Bo 23. ROSS I PO RY By . a E AND 1115 OET Ro u COWP R P RY By 1mmA. y M E ET n . In 3 5. ARLOW AND HIS PO RY By Joh H gram U E OET 26. CHA C R AND HIS P RY E E mun By . W. d ds MA. , WALT WHITMAN ET 3 . 37 . AND HIS PO RY By H. 8mm 8 TTERTO AND HIS OET 2 . CHA N P RY n In By Joh H. gram TT E OET H H . 29. W I I R AND HIS P RY By W. H udson V T UGO ET H 30 . IC OR H AND HIS PO RY By W. H. udson WILLIAMBLAKE ET 3 1. AND HIS PO RY A ce N M c A. By llardy i oll, Other Volume: as acti ve preparati on B! A. AL L ARD! C E N IC OL L M. lh L an ua e and L it e tu e L eet urer in Eng is g g ra r ’ it o f L ondon i n King s C olleg e U niv ers y A AND S! DN ! (Sr AT CALCUTT E Fi rs t p u blis h ed Ma y 7922 b GEO RG E G . H AR RAP <5 C o . L TD y _ ’ 6 o r t mou th S t reet Ki n wa L n d on W. O. Z 2 3 P s . gs y , o . G EN ERAL PREFAC E GLANCE through the pages of this little book will suffice to discl ose the general plan o f the series of which it forms a f o s o f e a a o e e part . Only a ew w rd xpl n ti n , th r e e essa . fore, Will b n c ry The point of departure is the undeniable fact that with the vast maj ority Of yo ung students o f literature a living interest in th e wo rk of any o se an d an e e p oet can best be ar u d , int llig nt i e a e appreciatio n of it secured , when it s imm di t ly asso ciated with the character and career o f the nd far p oet himself . The cases are indeed few a between in which much fresh light will not be thrown upo n a p oem by some knowledge of the e so a of th e e e will» often be p r n lity writ r , w—hil it foun—d that the most direct p erhaps even the only way to the heart of its meaning lies through a c onsideratio n o f the circumstances Th e sthetic in which it had its birth . e pur ly a critic may p ossibly o bj ect that a p o em should be regarded simply as a self-contained an d e a o f a n o e so a d t ched piece art , h ving p r n l af s the al of s filiatio ns or bearing . Of v idity thi as an abstract principle nothing need n ow be m h a e said . The fact re ains that , in t e e rli r es o f a an a e o is os a e stag study t y r t , p etry m t v lu d and l o ved when it is made to seem m ost human and vital ; and the human an d vital interest of poetry can be most surely br ought h ome 5 G E N E R A L P R E F A C E to the reader by the bi ographical meth o d of interpretation . This is t o some extent rec ognized by writers Of is o es an d e - oo s o f h t ri t xt b k literature, and by editors o f selections fr om the works o f our p oets ; fo r place is always given by them to a e a a o o f o a a c rt in m unt bi gr phic l material . But in the histories an d text-b o oks the bio graphy o f a e e s a s i se an d i o giv n writ r t nd by t lf , h s w rk has to be s e se ought l where, the student being left to make the co nnexio n for himself ; while even in our current editions o f selectio ns there m o is little systematic atte pt t link bio graphy , e e o o st p by st p , with pr ducti n . This brings us at o nce to the chief purpose o th e e e es o a f e pr s nt s ri . In this, bi gr phy and pro ducti on will be considered t ogether an d in i m as o a e n n nti ate s ci tion . In oth r wo rds, a e , deavour will be made to interest the reader in the lives and personalities of the poets dealt i and at the sa e e to use o a w th , m ktim bi gr phy as an intro ductio n and ey to their writings. Each volume will therefo re c ontain the life h o o s ts s e . s story o f the p oet w f rm i ubj ct In thi , attentio n will be Specially directed to his per son lit as e esse e his oe and a y it xpr d its lf in p try , t o the influences and conditio ns which c o unted m ost as formative factors in the growth o f his a a s be se genius. This bi o gr phic l tudy will u d a as a e as a setting for a sel ection , as l rge Sp c se a e oe s. will permit , Of his repre nt tiv p m Such o i be e o e in l poems, where p ssible, w ll r pr duc d fu l , 6 W IL L IAM BLAKE <9" H IS P O ET R ! R CHESTERTON h as said that if o ne Mwished to pen aright a nar rative o f the life o f William Blake one would have f to start with chaos an d the creation o the world . o n d e s e i If s mewhat exaggerated a bizarr , thi p a a s o a s a ea ea gr m , like m ost epigr m , c nt in gr t d l o f e m n f r se ms to e as e le ental truth i it , o it e mph iz a p oint that o nly too Often is o verlo oked ’ Blake s cl ose and intimate relati o ns with the o o imhis e e o the as and w rld ar und h , r fl cti n Of p t his s o o e wa vi i on o f the future.