The Norton Anthology of Modern & Contemporary Poetry, Vol 1: Modern Poetry Review

The Norton Anthology of Modern & Contemporary Poetry, Vol 1: Modern Poetry by Jahan Ramazani (1136 pages)
My Rating: 3 Stars
Date Read: 18 November 2016

Synopsis:

Thirty years later, this innovative, cover-to-cover revision renders with fresh eyes and meticulous care the remarkable range of styles, subjects, and voices in English-language poetry. The newly titled Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry now available in two paperback volumes includes 1,596 poems by 195 poets (half of the poems are new), from Walt Whitman and Thomas Hardy in the late nineteenth century to Anne Carson and Sherman Alexie in the twenty-first. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry continues to be the most comprehensive collection of twentieth-century poetry in English. It richly represents the major figures, while also giving full voice to ethnic American poetries, experimental traditions, postcolonial poetry, and the long poem, eclipsing all other anthologies in scope, clarity, and balance."

My Review:
This is a great comprehensive book of Modernist poetry. There are many authors with a great selection of both the poetry and many technical essays.

I loved reading the biographies of the poets before diving into the actual poetry.

I had to get this book for one of my English classes in college, and it helped a lot with the understanding of the poetry. It was great because it included all of the footnotes that worked in tandem with the enjoyment of the poems.

I loved reading Langston Hughes the most. I had been introduced to a few of his poems, but this was the first time I had gotten to read so many. I love his style of writing in  comparison to a lot of the other poets we read.

I can honestly say that TS Eliot is not my favorite Modernist poet, especially since it seems like each professor has us read at least one of his poems a quarter. 

Overall, this is a super cool book to pick up, even if you aren't a huge fan of poetry, but want to be introduced to a lot of different styles.