Rhyme's Reason

A Guide to English Verse

Hollander John, McClatchy J. D., Wilbur Richard

Poet John Hollander surveys the schemes, patterns and forms of English verse in this classic text, illustrating each variation with an original and witty self-descriptive example. In new essays for this fourth edition, J. D. McClatchy and Richard Wilbur each offer a personal take on why the book has played such an important role in the education of young poets and student scholars. The first edition of "Rhyme's Reason" was awarded the Modern Language Association's Mina P. Shaughnessy Medal for an outstanding research publication in the field of teaching English language and literature.

About the Author

John Hollander (1929-2013) was Sterling Professor of English at Yale University. J. D. McClatchy is a poet and literary critic, adjunct English professor at Yale University, and editor of "The Yale Review".

Richard Wilbur twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Reviews

"Marvelously comprehensive, clarifying and useful, and a delight to read". (John Reardon, Los Angeles Times Book Review) "Hollander explains all the means and methods English poetry has employed, delighting his readers (what a superb teacher he must be!) while he enlightens them... A virtuoso performance and a mandatory text for poetry readers and practioners alike" – ALA Booklist

Back to the list of books