Hopkins: "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"

One of his most important and beloved poems, "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" is a glimpse into Gerard Manley Hopkins' philosophy of life, his way of seeing the world. Central to his approach to poetry, spirituality, and life were concepts he often refers to in his writing—inscape, a thing's "thingness"…

Hopkins: "Inversnaid"

Gerard Manley Hopkins' poetry can be confusing at first glance, and he faced consistent criticism for his style of poetry the world just wasn't ready for at the time. His friend and posthumous editor Robert Bridges even wrote an essay called "The Oddities of Genius" about how puzzling Hopkins' work…

Hopkins: "The Lantern Out of Doors"

Gerard Manley Hopkins' known works consist of 49 poems, none of which were published in his short life of 44 years. In 1918, 30 years after Hopkins' death, his friend and then poet laureate of England Robert Bridges published a collection of Hopkins' works, but not until Bridges re-released it in 1…

Hopkins: "God's Grandeur"

19th-century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was a man before his time, especially in regard to his literary work. His contemporaries and even his close friends called him odd. Manley even had serious doubts about whether he should spend time writing poetry, as he considered it a potential distraction f…