A Comprehensive List of English Poetry Greats

In this article, we explore the rich tapestry of English poetry, from its roots to modern times. We have compiled a list of renowned poets spanning the centuries, with a focus on both British and American traditions.

British Poetry

British poetry is a vast and storied tradition, with many influential poets making indelible marks on literature. Here is a chronologically arranged list of notable British poets:

Medieval Period

Anonymous: "Tom O'Bedlam"

Early Renaissance to Early Modern Period

Thomas Wyatt John Skelton Edmund Spenser Fulke Greville Sir Philip Sydney Samuel Daniel Michael Drayton Christopher Marlowe William Shakespeare Thomas Nashe Ben Jonson John Donne George Herbert Thomas Carew Robert Herrick John Milton Andrew Marvell John Dryden

18th Century

Jonathan Swift Alexander Pope Thomas Gray William Blake Robert Burns Samuel Taylor Coleridge William Wordsworth Walter Savage Landor George Gordon Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats Thomas Lovell Beddoes Alfred Lord Tennyson

Victorian Period

Robert Browning Emily Bront? Matthew Arnold George Meredith Algernon Charles Swinburne William Morris Dante Gabriel Rosetti Christine Rosetti Thomas Hardy Gerard Manley Hopkins Oscar Wilde A. E. Housman Rudyard Kipling William Butler Yeats Ernest Dowson Lionel Johnson John Millington Synge Walter de la Mare John Masefield D. H. Lawrence Edith Sitwell Robert Graves Kathleen Raine W. H. Auden C. Day-Lewis Stephen Spender Lawrence Durrell Mervyn Peake Dylan Thomas Phillip Larkin Ted Hughes Tony Harrison Seamus Heaney

United States Poetry

American poetry has its own unique flair and has been shaped by a diverse range of voices. Here are some iconic American poets:

19th Century

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Edgar Allan Poe Ralph Waldo Emerson Walt Whitman Emily Dickinson Sidney Lanier George Sterling Edward Arlington Robinson Stephen Crane

20th Century

Robert Frost Wallace Stevens William Carlos Williams Robinson Jeffers Ezra Pound H. D. Hilda Doolittle T. S. Eliot Conrad Aiken e e cummings Stephen Vincent Benét Hart Crane Laura Riding Kenneth Fearing Robert Penn Warren Robert Lowell Elizabeth Bishop Delmore Schwartz Richard Wilbur Anthony Hecht Donald Justice James Merrill A. R. Ammons John Ashbery Donald Hall John Hollander Sylvia Plath Mark Strand Tom Disch Marilyn Hacker Jorie Graham Rosanna Warren Henri Cole

Exploring these poets can offer a rich and rewarding experience. The Norton Anthology of Poetry is also an invaluable resource for delving into a wide range of poetry from these poets and many more. While you may not enjoy everything you read, engaging with their works will certainly broaden your literary horizons.

For a deeper exploration of poems in Middle English, consider investigating the works of authors such as Chaucer. His contributions to literature ensure his place at the forefront of English poetry, with works like 'The Canterbury Tales' offering a glimpse into the linguistic and cultural tapestry of the Middle Ages.