RUTH GLANCY is Associate Professor of English at Concordia University College of Alberta. She is author of several books and articles on Dickens including a companion to A Tale of Two Cities and two bibliographies. Best known for her work on Dickens and Christmas, she has edited his Christmas Books and Christmas Stories, and is regularly interviewed on the subject at Christmas time.

Introduction
Themes
Active and Contemplative Lives
Art, Imagination, Inspiration
Beauty
Carpe Diem
Christmas Poems
Death
Death of the Young
Duty
Fame and Ambition
Family Relations
Freedom and Captivity
The Golden Mean
Immortality
Industrialism and the City
Innocence and Experience
Love
Marriage
Music
Nature and Country Life
Old Age
Patriotism
Politics and Human Rights
Pride and Vanity
Rebellion and Conformity
Regret, Consolation, and Melancholy
Religion
Sleep
Time and Change
War
Appendix: Biographical Sketches
Bibliography
Title Index
Subject Index
Author Index

This thematic guide offers interpretations of 415 poems, representing the work of over 110 poets spanning seven centuries of British poetry. Educators teaching thematic units will find relevant essays appropriate for background presentation, discussion ideas, or student assignments. This book is clearly organized for easy access to information, whatever the users' individual purposes.
The main section of the guide contains narrative essays on 29 alphabetically arranged themes that recur throughout the history of British poetry. Explications of individual poems are arranged chronologically to trace the evolution of a particular theme over time. Following each entry, the poems are listed with information about the anthologies where the works can be found. Additional suggested readings make this the perfect resource for research and classroom use, and as an indispensable tool for librarians assisting readers to identify poets, access their works, and better understand the thematic meanings of poetry.