A full-text multimedia database with images and sound
5,000 poems to explore...with biographies, images, and recordings.
• 5,000 poems by 275 poets of the English-speaking world
• from Chaucer to the end of the 19th century
• the largest available anthology chosen specifically for schools and colleges
• each poem is easily accessible by topic, genre, and poetic form
PLUS
• biographies of every poet whose work is included
• portraits of dozens of the poets
• nearly fifty recorded readings bring the poetry to life
• background illustrations and picture storybooks illustrate each chronological period
The Poems
The English Poetry plus CD-ROM contains 5,000 poems by 275 poets from Chaucer through the end of the 19th century—a larger number of poems than any printed anthology, chosen specifically for school and college use by educators. The CD-ROM contains a broad selection of the works of the best-known poets, genres, and periods, as well as carefully chosen works by lesser-known poets.
The Poets
A selection of the 275 poets represented in the English Poetry plus CD-ROM includes: Emily Brontë, Robert Burns, Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Keats, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Pope, William Shakespeare, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Edmund Spenser, John Millington Synge, Walt Whitman, William Wordsworth, and William Butler Yeats.
The Biographies
Brief biographies of each poet help to relate the poems to the author’s background, life, and ideas. In addition to basic information about important dates, each biography includes a summary of the poet’s significance and the major facts of the poet’s life.
The Images
Portraits of nearly 100 poets accompany their biographies. A wide variety of illustrations are also included which provide a pictorial background to the poetry. They illustrate elements of society and culture, typical period dress, art, architecture, and important historical events. In a few instances, illustrations are provided where they are integral to the text of a poem, such as Blake’s engravings.
The Sound Recordings
Recordings of nearly fifty poems, from a wide chronological and thematic range, bring the poetry to life and help students to understand them. Among the recorded poems are: "Jabberwocky" (Lewis Carroll); "Ode to a Nightingale" (John Keats); from the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer); and "Friends Beyond" (Thomas Hardy).
Searching the Database
Poems can be selected in a variety of ways: by topic, by period, by genre or poetic form, by poet, by first line and title, or by any word or phrase across the whole anthology. Each poem is displayed on-screen in an attractive form close to that of the printed page.
One of the most powerful features of the English Poetry plus CD-ROM is the ability to find poems on any one of dozens of subjects. Each poem is coded by one of thirteen main topics, such as Feelings and Emotions, History and Geography, Politics and Society, and up to three subtopics. For example, under the main topic of Feelings and Emotion, one can search for ideas such as Contemplation, Happiness, Hope, and Self-Awareness.
Glossaries
Nearly 500 poems have been glossed. Glossing has been deliberately limited to terms that are not readily found in most dictionaries, such as archaic words and classical allusions. Notes can also be added via a notepad facility. These notes may be stored and can become a valuable resource for ongoing research.
Printing
All of the poems and biographies can be printed and downloaded. Customized anthologies can be created by simply clicking on the required poems on the screen and saving them as a file or for printing.
Networking
Contact us for a network license.
The English Poetry plus package includes: one CD-ROM for PCs running Windows, a 110-page instructor’s manual, and a quick-reference guide.
Minimum system requirements:
IBM PC 386 or 100% compatible with a minimum of 4 MB RAM; hard disk with at least 8 MB free; VGA/SVGA color monitor; MPC compatible soundcard (for the recorded poems only); CD-ROM drive and controller card supporting Microsoft CD-ROM extensions; Microsoft CD-ROM extensions version 2.10 or higher; Microsoft compatible mouse; MS-DOS version 3.1 or higher running in enhanced mode; Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or higher. Available for Windows only.