Publisher's Synopsis
This study focuses on the way in which William Barnes uses and experiments with techniques of meter, rhyme and sound, and shows how an understanding of the language of the poems, not only dialect but also standard English, is essential to appreciating the worth of Barnes's poetical output. A detailed examination of the way in which he set about composing his verse reveals the careful and self-conscious craftsman who lies behind the superficial oddities that may strike the present day reader.
