A. R. Coulthard (essay date fall 1993)


A. R. Coulthard (essay date fall 1993)

SOURCE: Coulthard, A. R. “The Flawed Craft of A. E. Housman.” Victorian Newsletter, no. 84 (fall 1993): 29-31.

[In the following essay, Coulthard asserts that while many critics have assessed Housman a superb craftsman, his poetry often demonstrates flawed craftsmanship. According to Coulthard, Housman's poetry is rife with awkward diction, odd syntax, lapses in taste, and clichés.]

Most textbooks acknowledge the limited tonal and thematic range of Housman's verse, a deficiency Housman defended in the...

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