Textbook

Wood, Felicity and Brian Walter. 1997. Groundwork: An Introduction to Reading and Writing about Poetry and an Anthology of Poetry in English

Groundwork is designed for students who are beginning a study of poetry, or those who have read poetry, but feel a need for a further grounding in poems. This book provides an introduction to reading and writing about poetry, outlining ways of analysing poems and offering basic guidelines for writing essays on poetry. For students of literature, particularly those who are just starting out, the development of analytical skills provides a groundwork upon which they can build.

The book also consists of an anthology of poems from diverse countries, written in or translated into English during different historical periods. African poetry, both oral and written, forms a key part of this anthology. This section is intended to encourage students to develop an appreciation of poetry through reading and re-reading poems. It is hoped that this book may also enable individuals to find the inspiration to write poems of their own. Thus there is also a chapter on creative writing, focusing especially on the writing of poetry.