"Idea and Art in Prior's Dialogues of the Dead," in Englightenment Essays, Vol. V, No. 2, Summer, 1974, pp. 62-9.

In the essay below, Higby eschews comparisons with Prior's contemporaries who also wrote dialogue of the dead in order to examine what Prior's work in this subgenre reveals about his intellect and artistic gift.

Matthew Prior's Dialogues of the Dead are like the young woman who is admired by all but courted by none. Since their first publication well over a half century ago, they have been favorably but always briefly treated by Prior's biographers and by some of the more comprehensive literary histories. But apart from one or two short studies, little has been published in the way of criticism, certainly less than one might expect in view of the general enthusiasm among readers familiar with them.

The neglect of these dialogues, especially of their substance, may stem in...