An Introduction to English Poetry

Fenton writes in a way that is not too difficult to understand for those of you who are just beginning to study poetry. He's engaging and interesting while he skims over the basics and sinks into the more difficult aspects of English poetry. If you are the kind of person who would rather read a book than study a text book this is the perfect choice for you. This book was required for an English class that I was taking and I found that I was able to understand the more complicated poets a little easier than I have with any other texbook I've read.

Fenton's Intro to English Poetry is an interesting book to read, but not because it will teach you anything. It is too short. He covers just about everything, but each chapter (which covers a different topic) is only a couple of pages long. He just doesn't go into it enough. This book is not for teaching. This book is not for beginners. What this book is for is for those who know what they are doing or have an idea and are interested in what Fenton has to say. And it is interesting.