Linguistic Guide to English Poetry

By Geoffrey Leech
March 1972
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0582550130
256 pages
$62.50 Paper Original

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Seeks to demonstrate that the study of English poetry is enriched by the insights of modern linguistic analysis, and that linguistic and critical disciplines are not separate but complementary. Examining a wide range of poetry, Professor Leech considers many aspects of poetic style, including the language of past and present, creative language, poetic license, repetition, sound, meter, context and ambiguity.

Contents
Foreword Preface Introduction 1. Poetry and the Language of past and present. Examples for discussion 2. The Creative use of Language. Examples for discussion 3. Variations of Poetic License. Examples for discussion 4. Foregrounding and Interpretation. Examples for discussion 5. Verbal Repetition. Examples for discussion 6. Patterns of Sound. Examples for discussion 7. Meter. Examples for discussion 8. The Irrational in Poetry. Examples for discussion 9. Figurative Language. Examples for discussion 10. Honest Deceptions. Examples for discussion 11. Implications of context. Examples for discussion 12. Ambiguity and Indeterminacy. Example for discussion Conclusion Suggestions for further reading General Index Index of sources of examples for discussion

Review
"Professor Leech has given us the first full-length textbook suitable for teaching the 'new stylistics' to undergraduates."
Language and Style

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