A group of leading critics have been invited to offer close readings of well-known poetic texts from the established canon of English literature. The volume is organised historically, with texts ranging from the Renaissance, Augustan and Romantic periods through to the twentieth century. All the essays are motivated by ideas and debates in critical theory and will prove a challenge to conventional valuations and ways of construing literary history. By combining theory and practical application, this volume should prove particularly helpful to those keen to pursue the implications of current critical theory.