A guide to understanding the sometimes difficult or obscure poetry of the six greatest poets of the time. This reader's guide focuses primarily on the sometimes difficult or obscure poetry of John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Abraham Cowley, Henry Vaughan, and Andrew Marvell, but it also deals with some of the lesser poets who can legitimately be included under the heading of metaphysical poets. Because this poetry is rich in philosophical ideas and metaphors, George Williamson helps the reader to understand the line-by-line meaning of particular poems before being bid to set out on a path to higher comprehension. In addition, Williamson sketches the historical, intellectual, and rhetorical backgrounds of these poets, and the development of their literary reputations through the years.