Notable Modern Poets and Their Contributions

1. Robert Bridges (1840-1930): The Last Great Victorian Background and Style Though a twentieth-century poet, Bridges is considered the last of the Great Victorians. Carried on the Victorian tradition and was not involved in the modern crisis except for his metrical innovations. His work is concerned with the leisured and highly cultivated aristocratic class of society. Themes and Imagery Beautiful descriptions of English landscapes , clear streams, gardens, and songs of birds. Depicts a world haunted by memories of the classics, music, poetry, and decorous love-making . Continued the tradition of Milton, Wordsworth, and Tennyson , against which the young men of his times revolted. Philosophical Approach No bold attempts to face the critical problems of his generation. Even his greatest poem, The Testament of Beauty , lacks consistent treatment of deep philosophy. Yeats remarked on the emptiness in Bridges' poetry. Metrical Innovations Importance lies in his metrical innovations . Lover of old Englis…