ENGLISH'-POEMS 1669-1800 Selected by Ronald S. Crane
The year 1660, as Professor Cazamian has observed, was one of great significance in the -history of English literature. With the restoration of the monarchy, modern England, so far as literature is concerned, was brought to birth. The period was one of quick change and development, both in the arrangement 'of the social order and in culture. The new spirit in literature showed itself by an increased regard for precision and clarity, by an insistence on the intellectual factor in art, and by the realization that inspiration wa not unsusceptible to discipline. Mr. Crane's anthology (4 Collection of English Poems, 1660-1800 ; Harper, 151;.) pro. vides a perfect illustration in miniature of the classical move. ment and of the intellectual refinement of the years which sponsored it. • His selections, throwing emphasis on the achievements *of Cowley; Waller, Marvell, Dryden, Prior, Swift, Gay, Pope, Matthew Green and Goldsmith, and including almost every' pOet who merits attention, brings us - down to Burns and the beginning of the Romantic movement. It is impossible to speak too highly of Mr. Crane's industry or of the taste which has informed his choice.
Previous page
