When secondary school or university students are asked what they find hardest about studying English, the most popular answer by far is poetry. This book is the first poetry analysis guide intended for all candidates studying English at secondary and university levels. Importantly, it is a 'pocket guide' - concise and accessible. This means that all students will be able to find it useful, whether they happen to be struggling in the subject or trying to secure their own top-grade performance. The guide is organised into five short, reader-friendly chapters: an introduction, 'Why is Poetry Difficult?', 'What do Poems Mean?', 'The Challenge of Poetic Form', and 'How to Write an Essay on a Poem'. Each of these chapters challenges particular misunderstandings about poetry while presenting some clear, practical strategies for how to analyse poems.

Brendan Cooper studied at Downing College, Cambridge, where he also completed a PhD in English. He has published widely on British and American literature, including Dark Airs: John Berryman and the Spiritual Politics of Cold War American Poetry (2009) and William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience: A Student's Guide (2017). He is presently Head of English at Eton College.