The Oxford Companion to the Literature of WalesMeic Stephens Though geographically a small country, Wales has produced a large body of extraordinary literature in both Welsh and English which deserves broader recognition. The Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales provides an introduction to the literature and culture of this fascinating country, covering a time period that ranges from the days of King Arthur to the present-day flowering of Welsh national consciousness. Its nearly three thousand entries treat the principal genres of Welsh literature, the complexities of Welsh poetic art, myth, legend. and folklore, and offer information on literary associations, events, movement, and institutions. The book also features biographies of major figures from all periods of Welsh literary history. Excerpt: "Dylan Thomas (1914-53), poet and prose writer....The standing of Dylan Thomas as one of the most important and challenging of the twentieth-century poets in English is assured....Certainly, part of the Welshman's significance is the umcompromising way in which he stood out against the intellectualization of poetry and any thinning of its textural and musical delights. In terms more specifically of Anglo-Welsh writing, a particular power in his poetry derives from the unresolved tensions which come from living imaginatively on the blurred edged between two cultures. Although English was his only language, the different liguistic instincts of Wales, no less than its society and topography, run deep in his poetry, where the Welshness of his materials in less self-consciously capitalized upon than in his prose. But with respect to the prose and poetry alike, renewed interest in the regional forces shaping British literature in English continues to enrich their appeal." |
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Common terms and phrases
Aberystwyth Anglo-Welsh ap Gruffudd Arthur awdl Bangor Bardd bardic became born Britain Caerns Cardiff Carmarthen Carms castle Celtic Church College of Wales Culhwch and Olwen Cymru cynghanedd cywydd cywyddau Dafydd ap Gwilym David Davies death Denbs early edited editor educated Edward elegy English englynion essay Evans Fawr further details Geraint Glam Glamorgan Glyn Griffiths Gruffudd ap Gwyn Gwynedd Gymraeg Hughes Hywel Ieuan Ifor Iolo Morganwg Iorwerth J. E. Caerwyn Williams John Jones King later literary Lloyd Llwyd Llywelyn ap Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Iorwerth London Madog manuscripts medieval Methodist metres Morgan National Eisteddfod native North Wales novel Owain Owain Glyndŵr Owain Gwynedd Owen Oxford parish Parry poems poet Powys published Rhys Richard Robert Saunders Lewis School Siôn Society south Wales stories Swansea Taliesin Thomas tion tradition translation University College verse volume Welsh language Welsh literature wrote Ynys
References to this book
Poetry, Enclosure, and the Vernacular Landscape, 1700-1830 Rachel Crawford No preview available - 2002 |