For anyone who has ever wanted to become fluent in the language of
poetry, Invitation to Poetry will prove an essential guide. This
book:

* * Teaches the serious student how to 'speak poetry'
through an in-depth examination of the traditional features and
technical vocabulary of poetic language;

* * Examines British and American materials from the sixteenth
through the twentieth centuries in order to give students a sense
of a range of different period styles, poetic projects, and
strategies;

* * Explicitly examines, questions and challenges the relationship
of poetry to literary periods and canons;

* * Offers the technical tools essential for close reading and
interpretation across a broad chronological spectrum.