Questions of Poetics is Barrett Watten's major reassessment of the political history, social formation, and literary genealogy of Language writing. Over three decades of writing in poetics, Watten has developed a sustained account of its theory and practice. The present volume represents the core of Watten's critical writing and public lecturing since the millennium, taking up the historical origins and continuity of Language writing from its beginnings to the present. Questions of Poetics will be a major point of reference in continuing debates on poetry and literary history, a critical re-examination for already familiar readers and a clearly presented introduction for new ones.