A History of American Poetry presents a comprehensive exploration of the development of American poetic traditions from their pre-Columbian origins to the present day. Offers a detailed and accessible account of the entire range of American poetrySituates the story of American poetry within crucial social and historical contexts, and places individual poets and poems in the relevant intertextual contextsExplores and interprets American poetry in terms of the international positioning and multicultural character of the United StatesProvides readers with a means to understand the individual works and personalities that helped to shape one of the most significant bodies of literature of the past few centuries