Poetry Books that Harvard Literature Students Read in 1983

For those seeking to upgrade their reading this year, here is a review of Harvard's "Bibliography for English Undergraduate Concentrators" (4th edition, gen. ed. Keven Van Anglen, 1983), a reading list for Harvard English majors compiled by members of Harvard's English Department.

The entire list of poetry is too long to reproduce here. Instead, I select the best poets of every era listed by Harvard professors and add suggested updates for the contemporary reader along the way.

Introduction to the list 0:00-2:30
I. Bible and Classical Backgrounds 2:30-12:13
II. English Literature from the beginning to 1500 12:13-21:12
III. English Literature from 1500 to 1660 21:12-31:17
IV. English Literature from 1660-1790 31:17-43:27
V. English Literature from 1790-1890 43:27-48:57
VI. American Literature to 1890 48:57-54:39
VII. English and American Literature from 1890 to the present 54:39-56:42
VIII. The Theory and Criticism of Literature 56:42-59:03

[Opine]

Self-educated working-class bloke here: So happy to have found your channel! I like peering over the shoulder of those who are more educated and have a look-see at what they're reading. Thank you.

[Ahmed-Crane]

No man is friendless who has God and the companionship of good books.

[HabihiV]

This is honestly a very underrated YouTube channel. Congratulations, I appreciate your work here and hope you keep improving.

[isacanoli]

I LOVE this I always appreciate people who passionately talk about literature so it can give me real reactions and recommendations for me to read later

[noellefranzen]

I received my B.A. in English over 20 years ago from a small liberal arts school, and I am happy to say we read almost everything you covered in the video. I really enjoyed listening to this list!

[vehement-critic_q]

I'm an Arabic native & I hold a BA English Linguistics & Literature & English poetry & Arabic poetry alike are of interest, but, I struggled to find an English community or communion of poetry just as us Arabs we really value poetry & we're divided to traditionalists & dissenters in poetry & poetics just as hiw Westerners who are divided to conservatives & progressives in politics.

I think as a muslim myself & someone who recites Quranic verses, the bible is familiar to me & the biblical allusions in English literary works are not that uncanny, but Greek & Roman mythology & philosophy & overall classics I need to acquaint myself with, I read the Republic by Plato & I have poetics by Aristotle.

There are Classical Arabic texts that had assisted me in my journey with English studies ( I'm a grad of the British Open University by tbe way) & they're relevant to literary criticism, poetics & translation.

Apologies for the long comment, but you don't know how it is like how shall I express it a hidden gem maybe to find a passionate & energetic & well knowledgeable specialist in poetry like you, so thank you so much your effort is highly appreciated.

[ashleychilders]

I’m a homeschooling mother. I’m reading so many great books to my children and I’m starting a list for their later years in Highschool. This list was helpful. I am going to have to read many of these books myself and then add them to their list. ❤

[maryangeladouglas]

You definitely have set for yourself a noble quest. And it is kind of you to share with others your insights and personal reflections on literature, particularly poetry, and its study vis a vis Harvard and beyond Harvard as well.. I especially love your references to out of print materials as I do feel literature being for the ages as well as our own time in its surpassing sense, for each of our unique consciousness as individuals as well, it is good to be situated not only in our own time with regard to bibliographic materials. We are not limited to present day commentaries anymore than we are limited to contemporary literature. Good to have as wide and as deep a study as possible. Thank You and hope all your dreams come true regarding your ongoing goals, mission and sphere of influence for the good. A most worthy effort.

[tobiassupercool]

I am holding a phd in german literature studies and just stumbled across this channel, and i am so happy to finally have found content on my subject of expertise (sort of) that is intellectually inspiring. Thank you mate!

[bobross]

I just discovered your channel. You’re doing something really meaningful here.

[justinwerth]

Wow! Subscription earned. I’ve been looking for a good poetry channel for years and YouTube finally sent one that loves the subject as much as I do.

I’m going through your back catalogue right now and am loving your Shakespearean sonnet exploration.

Thank you for taking the time to make these and I’m wishing you much success as you make plain and enjoyable this wonderful art.

[cynthiawaithera]

00:01 Harvard literature professors' recommended poetry books in 1983
02:21 Understanding the Bible's influence on English literature
06:46 Classical literature's influence on English poetry
09:02 Harvard Literature students in 1983 studied ancient Greek and Roman literature and criticism, including works by Virgil, Aristotle, Hesiod, and Ovid.
13:39 Recommended reading for understanding Old English and Middle English poetry
15:54 Langland's allegory addresses problems leading up to the Protestant Reformation.
20:05 Recommended literature books for Harvard students in 1983.
22:12 Literary works in 1660s England reflect cultural temper and religious anxieties
26:15 Poetic experimentation and innovation in the early 17th century
28:22 Harvard literature students read classical and devotional poetry
32:49 Dryden's essay on dramatic poetry and its influence on English literary criticism
34:47 Classic poetry books forming the foundation of English literary criticism.
38:50 Insight into Samuel Johnson's view of history and humanity.
40:42 Harvard recommends key literature books of the 18th century.
44:47 Harvard Literature students read influential poetry books from the Romantic Period
46:51 Exploration of the idea of imagination through various fields of literature
51:02 Harvard Literature students read and discuss poetry by Ed Gren and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
53:01 Walt Whitman's emergence as a prophetic voice in American poetry
57:31 The Norton anthology of theory in criticism supplements the Harvard list and covers developments in theory and criticism up to contemporary writers.
Crafted by Merlin AI.

[meghanrose]

Your knowledge and insight is so fascinating, I feel like I could listen to your analysis all day. Academically stimulating and thought provoking without being gatekeepy, great video!

[JoaoPedroRibeiro-wlhi]

Hi. My name is John (João), I'm from Brazil, and maybe that's reason enough to motivate someone to question the claim I'm going to make here, but I do believe that you and Benjamin McEvoy have the best literature channels in the website right now. Congratulations for your journey!

[karierickson]

What a treasure trove; thank you for sharing it with such care and detail. For what it’s worth, I like the Seamus Heaney version of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight; we read it each year at Christmas by candlelight (probably the most rarefied thing I’ve ever typed & in no way representative of my day to day life!); my kids will actually listen to it; I think the story is a good one for kids.

[NuttyTruth]

I’m a big book nerd and try to read purposefully, thank you for this list. When I went to college, I wish we read books like this. Love thinking deeply and critically. Glad I was able to find you on YouTube.

[isaiasguzman]

Thank you very much for giving us an insight of literature along history-time. It is very important to understand and appreciate literature the way you expose it for the inexperienced person like me.

[umbrifer]

I wish I had come across such a channel when I was a literature student. You produce very high quality content and provide people with a great roadmap, thank you. It also would be great if you shared a written list of the books mentioned in the video.

[maeby]

finding this channel feels like a gift! I want to get more into poetry, since I do like it but I don't have that much experience with it as I have with novels or short stories
😊I'm looking forward to watching more content from you

[MaximusStetich]

My ears perked up when you mentioned that Marjorie Garber, but especially Walter Jackson Bate, were on the committee. A great teacher and then an even greater biographer! I’ll have to take the list and then bow out.

Thank you for this lovely video.