W. H. Auden in Context [Hardcover]

The authoritative essays in this collection provide helpful contextual models for engaging with W. H. Auden's poetry.This book of short, lively essays examines the life and writing of W. H. Auden by considering them in a variety of historical, social, cultural, and literary contexts. Written by distinguished scholars and poets with a wide readership in mind, these essays offer helpful and informative models for engaging with Auden's poetry.This book of short, lively essays examines the life and writing of W. H. Auden by considering them in a variety of historical, social, cultural, and literary contexts. Written by distinguished scholars and poets with a wide readership in mind, these essays offer helpful and informative models for engaging with Auden's poetry.W. H. Auden is a giant of twentieth-century English poetry whose writings demonstrate a sustained engagement with the times in which he lived. But how did the century's shifting cultural terrain affect him and his work? Written by distinguished poets and scholars, these brief but authoritative essays offer a varied set of coordinates by which to chart Auden's continuously evolving career, examining key aspects of his environmental, cultural, political, and creative contexts. Reaching beyond mere biography, these essays present Auden as the product of ongoing negotiations between himself, his time, and posterity, exploring the enduring power of his poetry to unsettle and provoke. The collection will prove valuable for scholars, researchers, and students of English literature, cultural studies, and creative writing.Acknowledgements; List of contributors; A note on editions and abbreviations; Introduction Tony Sharpe; Part I. Contexts of Place: 1. Auden's northerliness Tony Sharpe; 2. Two cities: Berlin and New York Patrick Deer; 3. Ideas about England Stan Smith; 4. Ideas of America Aidan Wasley; 5. At home in Italy and Austria Justin Quinn; Part II. Social and Cultural Contexts: 6. Auden and the class system Adlƒ’