The Work of Poetry is organized into three parts. "Poetic Substance" explores the nature of poetry and the poet, with essays that cover the poet "being-and-feeling-at-home" in his or her work and the parallels between dreams and poetry.

Next, "Poetic Experiences" examines the relationship between the poems and the individual, whether a poet or a reader of poetry, through such writings as "Hearing and Overhearing the Psalms," recounting Hollander's poetic childhood, and "My Poetic Generation." The final chapters, "The Work of Poets," deal with the poets themselves, and it is here that Hollander gives insightful readings of the works of Whitman, Robert Penn Warren, and others.

Readers who have struggled with the verse of poets like John Ashbery will be grateful for Hollander's masterful readings. They will also discover the enchantment this visionary poet can create from a seemingly dry topic, like the preposition "of," and the clarity he imparts to such contested and ambiguous topics as originality. Serious admirers and students of verse who seek to comprehend its subtleties will find The Work of Poetry a rich and moving source of wisdom.