This compendium of poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins includes his most famous works, together with a careful selection of his most critically acclaimed verses.
Hopkins is one of the Victorian era's best appreciated poets, gaining much of his fame for his unique and religiously inspired subjects. A committed Jesuit, his poems were notable for including a technique of Hopkins' own invention named sprung rhythm. This connotes verse which is designed to imitate the patterns and pace of typical human speech.
By 1918, when this collection of Hopkins' poetry first appeared, he had gained much renown. To emphasise that several of the entries had never been published previously, the subtitle of 'Now First Published' was appended. This and other anthologies helped introduce the talents of Hopkins to a wider audience, cementing his status in England's literary pantheon.
By all accounts a haunted man prone to depression, Hopkins later years were spent in difficulty as he grappled with a persistent low mood. Short of stature and softly spoken, he was unable to gain respect in his chosen vocation of teaching in the Irish capital Dublin. Feeling isolated from his friends in England and convinced that he was a failure both religiously and artistically, Hopkins gradually succumbed to worsening gastric illness, and died in 1889 at the age of forty-four.
Printed clearly and in quality type, this print edition of Hopkins' poetry is a perfect introduction to the poet's profound talents. Many English literature courses now include the poetry of Hopkins, who would only enjoy the bulk of his success posthumously.
