This approachable yet rigorous book is not only an excellent introduction but also contains much for those familiar with Victorian poetry to ponder. Its final two chapters are brilliant, providing a wide-ranging summary of movements in criticism and a fascinating introduction to the afterlives of Victorian verse, cropping up in the most unlikely places, from Virginia Woolf's essays to Hellboy 2.

John Morton, University of Greenwich, Times Higher Education

An entertaining, refreshing, and genuinely informative book that has reinvigorated my appreciation of Victorian poetry and sent me running to my poetry bookshelf with a renewed hunger. … An enjoyable and effortless read.

Sarah Parker, Loughborough University, UK, Victorian Poetry in Context

The [Bloomsbury Texts and Contexts] series aims to introduce students to literature that they may not have encountered before, and to encourage them to read intelligently and enjoy the experience. In this, the energy and clarity of Miles's writing enables her to succeed … The reader of this book will encounter a wide variety of Victorian poetry and of critical approaches to it, including feminism, queer theory and post-colonialism, and should be encouraged by it to go on to read more widely.

Peter Faulkner, The Journal of William Morris Studies

Rosie Miles' energetically argued book takes the form of a reliable, enthusing and lively guide for students of Victorian poetry . . . Accessible and illuminating in [its] contextual perspective, it goes on to offer a number of detailed readings of key texts which are adroitly framed and informative . . . Can be confidently placed in the hands of all students and admirers of Victorian poetry

Roger Ebbatson, Lancaster University, UK, The Tennyson Society research bulletin, 10:3