Lectures on the English Poets; Delivered at the Surrey Institution

Delivered as a succession of public lectures, this work opens with a vivid meditation on what poetry truly is—a spontaneous surge of imagination and feeling that transforms ordinary experience into a resonant, musical expression. The speaker argues that poetry is the language of the heart, present wherever beauty, power, or harmony arise, from a rolling sea to a blooming flower.

From Chaucer and Spenser to Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, Pope, and beyond, the series surveys the great English poets, tracing how each harnesses subject, form, and sound to give voice to the human condition. The lectures move chronologically, pairing biographical insight with close readings, and they finish with a look at contemporary voices, showing how the same principles still animate modern verse.

Throughout, the tone remains conversational and inviting, encouraging listeners to recognize the poet within themselves. By linking timeless emotions—fear, hope, love, jealousy—to the craft of poetry, the talks illuminate why poetry remains an essential, living part of everyday life.