Johnson,Gray,Goldsmith- Poets of the mid-eighteenth century

"The three poets in this volume lived at a time when England was laying the economic basis for her empire and competing with her European rivals for supremacy in India, Canada and the Americas. Rapid development of trade and agriculture enriched some sections of society but impoverished others. Poets found their status altered and were faced with new questions in their traditional role of social and moral commentators. All three poets in this volume engage with these social and economic issues, and face, in their different ways, their personal anxieties of melancholy and alienation. This edition provides reliable texts with full notes designed for the Indian student. Biographical information about each writer and extensive bibliographies for further reading are included. Separate introductions place each poet's work in its political and economic context as well as indicating its relationship with classical models and contemporary literary fashions. The critical essays and extracts have been selected for their usefulness in illuminating the poems and introducting students to important lines of critical thinking. The writers include J.P. Hardy, T.F. Wharton, D.V. Boyd, Leopold Damrosch, lan Donaldson, William Empson, Suvir Kaul, Clarence Tracy, Dustin Griffin, Raymond Williams, Howard J.Bell and Roger Lonsdale. HARRIET RAGHUNATHAN retired as Associate Professor after teaching for 35 years in the Department of English, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University."