Edward Thomas

Until recently, Edward Thomas (1878-1917), killed at the Battle of Arras in 1917, was known mainly as one of the leading British soldier-poets of the First World War. He is now also recognized for his extensive literary criticism, for his poems about the countryside and folklore of southern England, and especially for the vocabulary, dialogue, and narrative style of his poems. During 1913-1917 he inspired and was inspired by his friend Robert Frost who soon became an American voice. In this course we will read and discuss selected poems by Thomas, available in many collections and anthologies, and we will read and discuss an excellent biography of Thomas.

Required Reading:

Matthew Hollis, All Roads Lead to France: The Last Years of Edward Thomas, ISBN 978-0393089073.

Robert Bunselmeyer taught undergraduates at Yale, Fordham, Villanova, and Bates Colleges; he has taught for MSC 12 times.

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