Romanticism — Romanticism was not simply a love of nature or strong feeling. It was a varied poetic response to revolution, industrial change, scientific thought and new questions about the individual mind, freedom and humanity’s place in the world.

Metaphysical Poetry — Metaphysical poetry brings love, faith, science, death and the body into unusually close contact. Its poets—especially John Donne, George Herbert and Andrew Marvell—make poems that think aloud, argue fiercely and discover emotional force in surprising comparisons.

Volta — A volta is a turn: the moment when a poem changes direction in its thinking, feeling, argument, perspective, tone or imagery. Though closely associated with the sonnet, the volta can occur in almost any poem and at almost any point.

Nature Poetry — Nature poetry is not simply poetry with scenery in it. Across centuries and cultures, poets have used birds, weather, gardens, oceans, seasons and stars to test what it means to be human—and to meet a world that may not be human-centred at all.

How to Read a Poem — Poetry is not a puzzle with one hidden answer that only experts can decode. Begin by noticing what a poem actually does: read it, hear it, question it, and return to it.