This book is a radical re-appraisal of the poetry of Ted Hughes, placing him in the context of continental theorists such as Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida and Slavoj Zizek to address the traumas of his work. As an undergraduate, Hughes was visited in his sleep by a burnt fox/man who left a bloody handprint on his essay, warning him of the dangers of literary criticism. Hereafter, criticism became 'burning the foxes'. This book offers a defence of literary criticism, drawing Hughes' poetry and prose into the network of theoretical work he dismissed as 'the tyrant's whisper' by demonstrating a shared concern with trauma. Covering a wide range of Hughes' work, it explores the various traumas that define his writing. Whether it is