This is a Ph.D. thesis whose purpose was to trace the appearance of shapes in English poetry in the 16th and 17th centuries. Church found that the pattern poetry had its origins in Greek and Hindi literature. Greek literature contains six examples of pattern poetry: an axe, an egg, a pair of wings, a shepard's pipe, and two alters. Church defines Carmina Quadrata as verses that contain as many lines as each line contains letters. Within these boxlike poems are acrostics, telestichs, and many pictures and designs. The pictures are formed by either capitalizing the letters which outline the figure or by writing them in inks of various colors. Quincunx are poems arranged in oblique lines that can be read from either the upper or lower levels to make sense with either choice (p.51). Pattern poems reached the Anglo-Saxon literature in the 8th century. Alcuin of York wrote two Carmina Quadrata addressed to the cross. Hrabamus Maurus was one of Alcuin's followers. In 1573, pattern poetry was introduced into England through Richard Willis' shaped poems in his book Poematum liber ad ... Church describes the infuences o the pattern poems of Willis, Herbert, and Herrick as well as the generally adverse criticism and ridicule they received. In the latter part of the 17th century, several poets employed pyramid, rhomboid, or lozenge shapes in their poems. These included Stevenson, Washbourne, Crompton, Brome, Traherne, Shipman, Speed, and Ayres. Church indicates that they were imitating George Herbert. During the years following 1700, there are few pattern poems in the English literature. Of note is the mouse's tale by Lewis Carroll. Church provides extensive appendices for her sources and also reproduces several pattern poems. The copy of this manuscript was acquired from Dick Higgins; several of his handwritten notes are found in these appendices. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.