George Crabbe: A Critical Study

When E.M. Forster spoke of George Crabbe's 'uncomfortable mind' he was drawing attention to the poet's fascination with people and landscapes on the margins of social life. Forster is in a long line of English novelists who have profited from Crabbe's insights into the human psyche, his deep understanding of 'outer and inner weather'. From Jane Austen, through Dickens, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy, novelists have learnt from Crabbe's attention to social detail, his sure handling of dialogue, his descriptive powers, and his narrative subtleties. With rare exceptions - Browning, Hardy, and Peter Porter among them - poets have been less concerned with his achievement. John Lucas' new critical study, which takes account of all Crabbe's work, argues that Crabbe is, in fact, one of the great masters of English poetry.

About the author:

John Lucas, Professor Emeritus at the Universities of Loughborough and Nottingham Trent, is a well-known poet, critic, novelist, biographer, and literary historian. Since 1994 he has been publisher of Shoestring Press.

220  pages

ISBN: 978-1-906075-93-4