A Burns Companion - (Literary Companions) by Alan Bold (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Combining encyclopedic information as well as a critical guide to the poetry of Robert Burns, this work attempts to show the complex nature of this supposedly uncomplicated poet. Born a farmer's son in 1759, Burns lived through many of the most important events of his century.

From the Back Cover

This Companion, designed as an authoritative biographical and critical guide to Burns, is in six sections. Part I places Burns in context with a Chronology, 'The Burns Circle' and a Topography. Part II looks at the Burnsian issues of religion, politics, philosophy, drink, drama and sex. Part III an essay on Burns as a poetic phenomenon, is sure to provoke debate about the relevance of Burns to his time and ours. Part IV examines twenty-five poems, eighteen verse epistles and twenty-six songs as well as commenting on the letters, political ballads and Common Place Books. A Select Bibliography (Part V) and four Appendixes (Part VI) are followed by a glossary of Scots words, and index of poems and a general index.