Eagleton on Poetry

Terry Eagleton's new book How to read a poem (Blackwells, 2007 - although on sale in November 2006!) represents a rare attempt to write a contemporary theory of poetry. Poems have been ignored by Theory in all guises; Theory is in fact 'prose theory', only applicable to cultural products which use prose. A little of what Eagleton asserts is contentious and occasionally wayward (he is confused about what assonance is, apparently), but overall this is a worthwhile book, which pulls together many useful reflections on the forgotten genre.