Poets of the Elizabethan period, more than any other, were conscious of the characteristics of different poetic genres - to a large extent they themselves published in genres - and poets developed their individual styles within the framework of known conventions. This anthology represents the poetry of the period by a selection of poems written in the five literary genres which were highly popular at the time: the sonnet, lyric, satire, pastoral and Ovidian romance. This arrangement allows the stylistic conventions, subjects and themes characteristic to each genre to be readily comprehended; the work of each poet can be appreciated in itself and can also be read in the chronological context of other works written in the same literary "kind". Dr Hiller's introduction, updated in this second edition, discusses the features of each genre and surveys its development in the period. The poems have been annotated with explanatory footnotes and details of variants from the base text; and a biography and newly revised select bibliography for each poet is provided at the back of the book.