ABSTRACT
The introduction establishes the rationale for the book. It presents Moore’s poetry as a body of work that demands the attention of a study of this kind, and one that reveals new perspectives on the author and his writings that enrich and advance existing literature and knowledge. The introduction places the poetry in the larger context of Moore’s diverse oeuvre, explaining its relationship to his other writing modes, its inextricable link to his musical works, and its position within Moore’s aesthetics of writing. It also takes account of existing scholarship on Moore, articulating and explaining particular academic focuses, such as those related to Irish history, politics, and culture, and to music. In so doing, the introduction argues for the value of attending to neglected aspects of Moore’s work through analysis of his shifting modes of authorship and their various motivations. The chapter includes a close reading of a thematically pertinent Moore poem, “Written in the Blank Leaf of a Lady’s Common-place Book,” before concluding with a description of the contents of the five chapters of the book.
