Palgrave Advances in John Clare Studies

‘This fine collection is an important contribution to Romanticism studies whichwill continue to be valued and read. Its essays are often fresh, original, andskillfully inserted into diverse contemporary critical conversations. The bookreflects and advances recent developments in Clare scholarship in several areas:Clare’s strong community ties, the significant roles of sound and song in hisverse, and, especially, his importance for modern ecocriticism.’— Elizabeth Helsinger, University of Chicago, USA

This collection gathers together an exciting new series of critical essays on theRomantic- and Victorian-period poet John Clare, which each take a rigorousapproach to both persistent and emergent themes in his life and work. Designedto mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Clare’s first volume of poetry,Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, the scholarship collected here bothaffirms Clare’s importance as a major nineteenth-century poet and reveals howhis verse continually provokes fresh areas of enquiry. Offering new archival,theoretical, and sometimes corrective insights into Clare’s world and work, theessays in this volume cover a multitude of topics, including Clare’s immersion insong and print culture, his formal ingenuity, his environmental and ecologicalimagination, his mental and physical health, and his experience of asylums. Thisbook gives students a range of imaginative avenues into Clare’s work, and offersboth new readers and experienced Clare scholars a vital set of contributions toongoing critical debates.