Author Description

Though little known today, the Restoration era poet Edmund Waller was a pivotal figure of the Augustan age of English literature. Rejecting the dense intellectual verse of Metaphysical poetry, Waller’s poems are known for their generalising statement, easy associative development and urbane social comment. With his emphasis on definitive phrasing through inversion and balance, he prepared the way for the emergence of the heroic couplet, which would become the dominant form of English poetry at the close of the seventeenth century. Alexander Pope was heavily influenced by his verses and John Dryden repeatedly praised Waller’s 'sweetness', describing him as 'the father of our English numbers'. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents Waller’s complete works, with related illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Waller’s life and works * Concise introduction to Waller’s life and poetry * Excellent formatting of the poems * The complete poems, based on the 1887 James Nichol publication, including hyperlinked footnotes * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Waller’s rare translation of Virgil, ‘The Passion of Dido for Aeneas’, digitised for the first time * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Features two published plays, including Waller’s revision of the Beaumont and Fletcher play, ‘The Maid’s Tragedy’ * Includes Waller’s extant parliamentary speeches * Features three biographies, including Samuel Johnson’s seminal work — discover Waller’s literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to see our wide range of poet titles CONTENTS: The Life and Poetry of Edmund