This book considers a number of factors - linguistic and psychological - along with the careful study of the functions of language predominant in the production and reception of a literary work, and founds these considerations on individual works by Octavio Paz. Each selected poem is discussed in its context with unsurpassed clarity. The author enriches the central ideas of her book, corroborating them with the insight and words of a poet of undisputed leadership. In addition to a psycholinguistic approach to the language of poetry, the author emphasizes the artistic and literary influences throughout the decades of Paz’s poetic creation. This lucid study is an excellent model for scholars of literature interested in interdisciplinary theory and practice.