Gerard Manley Hopkins was among the most innovative writers of the Victorian period. Experimental and idiosyncratic, his work remains important for any student of nineteenth-century literature and culture.

This guide to Hopkins' life and work offers:

• a detailed account of Hopkins life and creative development
• an extensive introduction to Hopkins' poems, their critical history and the many interpretations of his work
• cross-references between documents and sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism
• suggestions for further reading.

Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Hopkins' work and seeking not only a guide to the poems, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds them.

Angus Easson is Professor Emeritas at the School of English, University of Salford, UK.

Abbreviations and referencing Introduction Part I Life and Contexts Part II Work Part III Criticism Further Reading Chronology Bibliography Index