The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1400)

Foster mentions Chaucer’s work in several chapters but specifically mentions The Canterbury Tales in Chapters 11 and 13. This classic work comprises a collection of stories, primarily written in verse, told by a group of pilgrims as they travel to a shrine at Canterbury Cathedral.  

• The Canterbury Tales on SuperSummary

“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll (1871)

“Jabberwocky,” a nonsense poem discussed in Chapter 1 of Foster’s book, is found in Carroll’s 1871 novel Through the Looking Glass, the follow-up to his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

• “Jabberwocky” on SuperSummary

“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost (1914)

Discussed in Chapter 8, this poem explores the contradictions and boundaries inherent in human existence.

• “Mending Wall” on SuperSummary

“The Fish” by Marianne Moore (1921)

One of Moore’s most famous poems, Foster looks closely at this poem in Chapter 5 but also mentions it again in Chapter 11 and in the Interlude. The poem provides a miniscule description of a seaside scene and offers commentary on the abuse humans inflict on nature.

“anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E.