This volume of commemorative and celebratory essays, first published in 1974, concentrates on William Empson - the critic, the poet and friend. The papers range from the biographical to the academic, but what every one suggests is the impossibility of separating the man from his work and the 'life' from the 'thought'. This book constitutes an important study of Empson, his work and his impact upon people and literary studies of our time.
Preface; 1. A Toast W. H. Auden 2. The Ambiguity of William Empson M. C. Bradbrook 3. Extracts from Unpublished Memoirs Kathleen Raine 4. Mr William Empson in Japan Rintaro Fukuhara 5. A is B at 8,000 Feet Janet Adam Smith 6. Empson Agonistes Karl Miller 7. William Empson Ronald Bottrall 8. The Man within the Name: William Empson as Poet, Critic and Friend George Fraser 9. An Eighth Type of Ambiguity Graham Hough 10. Semantic Frontiersman I. A. Richards 11. All or Nothing: A Theme in John Donne L. C. Knights 12. Reflections on Johnson's 'Life of Milton' John Wain 13. 'New Signatures' in Retrospect A. G. Stock 14. Empson's Poetry Christopher Ricks 15. William Empson Francis Berry 16. An Empson Bibliography Moira Megaw