Pastoral and Lyric Poems 1681

Book excerpt: When Andrew Marvell died in 1678, virtually none of his lyric poetry had been published. In 1681, his housekeeper, Mary Palmer claimed to be his widow in order to be able to have the Folio Miscellaneous Poems published. The 1681 Folio is almost certainly corrupt, yet virtually all modern editions of Marvell follow it extremely closely. This new edition incorporates many new readings, and argues for a radical revaluation of the Folio text. It omits the satirical works and prints only the thirty two poems for which Marvell is chiefly read today. Detailed notes and introductory material locate Marvell and his poems within the main intellectual and political currents of his time, providing a window for the modern reader into Marvell's mental world. The extensive bibliography will be indispensable to students and specialists in the literature and thought of the English Renaissance.