A lucid, carefully argued and insightful reading of two of the towering figures of British poetic modernism that raises productive questions about issues rarely raised at all – most vitally about the relationship between poetics and the utopian impulse, as well as about the often conflicting and complex relationship between modernist disenchantment and utopian desire

Antonis Balasopoulos, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Cyprus

It is remarkable that this is the first book-length text dedicated to considering poetry as utopian literature and [Stewart] Cole's efforts are thus to be lauded for uncovering new terrain … Cole's decision to trace both Yeats's and Auden's developing relationships with poetry's 'aspirational' strain, particularly through their more popular works, demonstrates the fruitfulness of applying a utopian framework to poetry.

Forum for Modern Language Studies