"Anthony H echt's vast knowledge of literature and his gift for mesmerizing
argument are both amply present in
Melodies Unheard.
Whether defending the
sestina against accusations of boredom and dolefulness or examining the structure
of Shakespeare's so nnets or unravel ing some of the complexity of
Moby-Dick,
these
essays are models of civility, candor, and grace. I know of no other poet, certai nly
none of Anthony Hecht's stature, who sheds as much light on the intricacies and
hidden designs of poems and who does it with such style."-Mark Strand
"Anthony Hecht declares himself 'a poet fi rst and only secondarily a critic,' bu t
Melodies Unheard
proves again that he is a master in both trades. His discourse on
such subjects as rhyme, the sestina, and 'the music of fo rms' is both scholarly and
delightful; his articles on individual poets are fi nely done; and best of all, perhaps,
are his penetrating treatments of particular poems-his reading of Bishop's 'T he
Man-Moth,' for instance, his biographical placement of Frost's 'The Wood-Pile,'
his discussion of emotional paradox in Hopkins's T he W reck of the
Deutschland.'
When H echt goes beyond the preserve of poetry, as in
his fo rceful pieces on
Moby-Dick
and St. Paul , it is
always a splendid bonus."-Richard Wilbur
Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction
John T Irwin, Ceneral Editor
$24.95 hardcover
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THEJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Johns Hopkins University Press
1-800-537-5487 ·
pbooks.com
