For anyone who has ever wanted to become fluent in the language of poetry, Invitation to Poetry will prove an essential guide. This book: Teaches the serious student how to ‘speak poetry’ through an in-depth examination of the traditional features and technical vocabulary of poetic language; Examines British and American materials from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries in order to give students a sense of a range of different period styles, poetic projects, and strategies; Explicitly examines, questions and challenges the relationship of poetry to literary periods and canons; Offers the technical tools essential for close reading and interpretation across a broad chronological spectrum.