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Norton Anthology of English Literature
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume I [with Media Companion]
The Sixth Edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature continues to be the indispensable anthology. Like its predecessors, the Sixth Edition offers the best in English literature from the classic to the contemporary in a readable, teachable format. More selections by women and twentieth-century writers, a richer offering of contextual writings, apparatus fully revised to reflect today's scholarship, and a new larger trim size make the Sixth Edition the choice for breadth, depth, and quality.
The Editors
M. H. Abrams, General Editor, Emeritus, Cornell University
E. Talbot Donaldson, Late of Indiana University
Alfred David, Emeritus, Indiana University
Hallett Smith, Formerly with The Huntington Library
Barbara K. Lewalski, Harvard University
Robert M. Adams, Late of University of California, Los Angeles
George M. Logan, Queen's University
Samuel Holt Monk, Late of the University of Minnesota
Lawrence Lipking, Northwestern University
Jack Stillinger, University of Illinois
George H. Ford, Late of the University of Rochester
Carol T. Christ, University of California at Berkeley
David Daiches, Emeritus, University of Sussex
Jon Stallworthy, Oxford University
5937 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
231 people are currently reading
4906 people want to read
About the author
M.H. Abrams
74 books98 followersMeyer Howard Abrams is an American literary critic, known for works on Romanticism, in particular his book The Mirror and the Lamp. In a powerful contrast, Abrams shows that until the Romantics, literature was usually understood as a mirror, reflecting the real world, in some kind of mimesis; but for the Romantics, writing was more like a lamp: the light of the writer's inner soul spilled out to illuminate the world. Under Abrams' editorship, the Norton Anthology of English Literature became the standard text for undergraduate survey courses across the U.S. and a major trendsetter in literary canon formation.
Abrams was born in a Jewish family in Long Branch, New Jersey. The son of a house painter and the first in his family to go to college, he entered Harvard University as an undergraduate in 1930. He went into English because, he says, "there weren't jobs in any other profession, so I thought I might as well enjoy starving, instead of starving while doing something I didn't enjoy." After earning his baccalaureate in 1934, Abrams won a Henry fellowship to the University of Cambridge, where his tutor was I.A. Richards. He returned to Harvard for graduate school in 1935 and received his Masters' degree in 1937 and his PhD in 1940. During World War II, he served at the Psycho-Acoustics Laboratory at Harvard. He describes his work as solving the problem of voice communications in a noisy military environment by establishing military codes that are highly audible and inventing selection tests for personnel who had a superior ability to recognize sound in a noisy background. In 1945 Abrams became a professor at Cornell University. As of March 4th, 2008, he was Class of 1916 Professor of English Emeritus there.
Abrams was born in a Jewish family in Long Branch, New Jersey. The son of a house painter and the first in his family to go to college, he entered Harvard University as an undergraduate in 1930. He went into English because, he says, "there weren't jobs in any other profession, so I thought I might as well enjoy starving, instead of starving while doing something I didn't enjoy." After earning his baccalaureate in 1934, Abrams won a Henry fellowship to the University of Cambridge, where his tutor was I.A. Richards. He returned to Harvard for graduate school in 1935 and received his Masters' degree in 1937 and his PhD in 1940. During World War II, he served at the Psycho-Acoustics Laboratory at Harvard. He describes his work as solving the problem of voice communications in a noisy military environment by establishing military codes that are highly audible and inventing selection tests for personnel who had a superior ability to recognize sound in a noisy background. In 1945 Abrams became a professor at Cornell University. As of March 4th, 2008, he was Class of 1916 Professor of English Emeritus there.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
January 31, 2015
This anthology is literally my life at the moment, being an English literature student. Don't go anywhere without it.
November 4, 2010
Have set a goal to read every selection in this tome! I might be a glutton for punishment, but I want to finish in one year or less.
On page 135. Have found good stuff in here that I wasn't required to read before. Love the biting tribute to William the Conqueror after his death. Also, enjoyed some of the ancient poetry. Have underlined quite a few lines, words, phrases, etc.
Only a million pages to go.
Up to page 255...starting up Chaucer has been a little bit rough. Oh Lord, I haven't even started work yet this fall. This is not good...maybe I'll have to read on my prep hour???
Damn that middle-English.
At page 290...having to teach 9th grade English and attempting to read this is kicking my butt. Not so much the teaching, but the hours of grading horrible writing, but onto Piers Plowman (sp?)right now. Again that middle-English! Am questioning myself and my insane goal right now. Even freaking Milton will be a nice break from middle-English. I'm afraid to even look and see what unknown treasure/horror is coming my way in volume B.
sigh
Piers Plowman...Better than expected. Have completely lost track of what page I am on at this point in time. Briefly looked ahead to volume B, and I discovered that will probably be slow slogging as well. The only thing that will save me is previous reading of both King Lear and 12th Night. Sonnet knowledge doesn't hurt either. Although, I am a leary of reading entire Faerie Queen. Had to read parts for another class, but the whole thing.
Back to Piers, reading plays is a lot harder for me than I was expecting. Still far more enjoyable than anticipated. So guess that is good.
Trucking along...looking forward to jury duty next week. Will help me advance to at least page 400!
Got called into jury...couldn't read a single page, had to listen to attorneys in suits talking. Am currently on page 5?? something...trucking through it now. I realized that I have only something like six months and over 2,000 pages! I am not watching any TV until this thing gets done. Why am I obsessing? A normal person could just put this down and walk away, but then I would wonder could I do this?
Okay!!! Finally finished. I seriously have been reading this every spare moment I could. Like sitting at red lights kind of spare moments. I've been lugging the damn thing everywhere! Totally worth it though. Reread some great stuff and found some cool new texts.
If you do this, word of advice...get through the old English and early middle English as quickly as possible. It speeds up once past Green Knight. Wouldn't say I highly recommend undertaking this project, but I wouldn't try to talk someone out of it either.
On page 135. Have found good stuff in here that I wasn't required to read before. Love the biting tribute to William the Conqueror after his death. Also, enjoyed some of the ancient poetry. Have underlined quite a few lines, words, phrases, etc.
Only a million pages to go.
Up to page 255...starting up Chaucer has been a little bit rough. Oh Lord, I haven't even started work yet this fall. This is not good...maybe I'll have to read on my prep hour???
Damn that middle-English.
At page 290...having to teach 9th grade English and attempting to read this is kicking my butt. Not so much the teaching, but the hours of grading horrible writing, but onto Piers Plowman (sp?)right now. Again that middle-English! Am questioning myself and my insane goal right now. Even freaking Milton will be a nice break from middle-English. I'm afraid to even look and see what unknown treasure/horror is coming my way in volume B.
sigh
Piers Plowman...Better than expected. Have completely lost track of what page I am on at this point in time. Briefly looked ahead to volume B, and I discovered that will probably be slow slogging as well. The only thing that will save me is previous reading of both King Lear and 12th Night. Sonnet knowledge doesn't hurt either. Although, I am a leary of reading entire Faerie Queen. Had to read parts for another class, but the whole thing.
Back to Piers, reading plays is a lot harder for me than I was expecting. Still far more enjoyable than anticipated. So guess that is good.
Trucking along...looking forward to jury duty next week. Will help me advance to at least page 400!
Got called into jury...couldn't read a single page, had to listen to attorneys in suits talking. Am currently on page 5?? something...trucking through it now. I realized that I have only something like six months and over 2,000 pages! I am not watching any TV until this thing gets done. Why am I obsessing? A normal person could just put this down and walk away, but then I would wonder could I do this?
Okay!!! Finally finished. I seriously have been reading this every spare moment I could. Like sitting at red lights kind of spare moments. I've been lugging the damn thing everywhere! Totally worth it though. Reread some great stuff and found some cool new texts.
If you do this, word of advice...get through the old English and early middle English as quickly as possible. It speeds up once past Green Knight. Wouldn't say I highly recommend undertaking this project, but I wouldn't try to talk someone out of it either.
April 29, 2009
This was a perfectly serviceable book, with many, many good texts in it, including all of Paradise Lost, the Canterbury Tales, and other fascinating works. My only gripe is this: they didn't get the best translations. With the medieval texts, especially, they would keep them with the older wording, where every word has to have a footnote in order to be understood. I'm not talking about Shakespeare, I'm talking about "By housbondrie, of swich as God hir sente, / She foond hirself and eek hire doghtren two." This is really hard to get through, and I ended up looking up a more modern translation of some pieces on the internet (which were very enjoyable, by the way).
July 26, 2022
This was the dead-weight anchor of my sophomore teaching experience, though a fine anthology, not that innovative in selections--say, of the play from Shakespeare or the Book from Paradise Lost or the liveliest of Seventeenth Century lyric poems. Take this last stanza from John
Suckling's "Love's Offense,"
"Love is the fart
Of every heart.
It pains a man when 'tis kept close
And others offends when let lose."
I'll let the reader try to find it in NA; it may be there now, but surely wasn't during the 30+ years I taught English Lit. (My grad professor Tom Clayton edited the first modern--Oxford--edition of Suckling's poems to include that stanza. My community college library, when I ordered Clayton's Oxford edition, kept buying cheaper editions that did not have this verse. I persisted--and you may see why I wanted such an accessible, possibly offensive, verse. To make the Cavaliers look more men of the people.
As for the play of Shakespeare's, when I started it was 1Henry4, a great play, but very male-dominated. My community college was two-thirds women students, so I preferred Measure for Measure or Much Ado, or even Othello. All these choices are of course determined by other anthologies as well, notably freshman comp and lit which came to include Othello (hence redundant in sophomore lit). One of my better students, once she graduated and attended a state college in Boston, returned to tell me she had had Oedipus required five times in her four years. Freshman English, sophomore psychology, junior history and psychology, and senior something-or-other. In other words, there IS no curriculum. Each course reconstitutes its own.
For twenty years I avoided this NA, using six paperbacks instead, with library supplements: Spenser's, Sidney's and Shakespeare's sonnets, Sh's MFM or Much Ado, a collection of Donne, Jonson and their successors, Milton's prose, a Restoration comedy like The Country Wife, Pope or Sam Johnson or Defoe. I would intersperse readings from English law and history I had found in my many postdocs at Princeton, Brown, Harvard, the Folger, etc. Also, Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, especially his description of Charles II's Portuguese wife. Gracious, French-raised Charles of course introduced his new wife to his mistress within a week of her landing in England with her household of black widow attendants. Should be in the NA for its prose and its insight into comparative cultures. (Since my students were predominately Portuguese, Brazilian and Azorean, they were attentive.)
Suckling's "Love's Offense,"
"Love is the fart
Of every heart.
It pains a man when 'tis kept close
And others offends when let lose."
I'll let the reader try to find it in NA; it may be there now, but surely wasn't during the 30+ years I taught English Lit. (My grad professor Tom Clayton edited the first modern--Oxford--edition of Suckling's poems to include that stanza. My community college library, when I ordered Clayton's Oxford edition, kept buying cheaper editions that did not have this verse. I persisted--and you may see why I wanted such an accessible, possibly offensive, verse. To make the Cavaliers look more men of the people.
As for the play of Shakespeare's, when I started it was 1Henry4, a great play, but very male-dominated. My community college was two-thirds women students, so I preferred Measure for Measure or Much Ado, or even Othello. All these choices are of course determined by other anthologies as well, notably freshman comp and lit which came to include Othello (hence redundant in sophomore lit). One of my better students, once she graduated and attended a state college in Boston, returned to tell me she had had Oedipus required five times in her four years. Freshman English, sophomore psychology, junior history and psychology, and senior something-or-other. In other words, there IS no curriculum. Each course reconstitutes its own.
For twenty years I avoided this NA, using six paperbacks instead, with library supplements: Spenser's, Sidney's and Shakespeare's sonnets, Sh's MFM or Much Ado, a collection of Donne, Jonson and their successors, Milton's prose, a Restoration comedy like The Country Wife, Pope or Sam Johnson or Defoe. I would intersperse readings from English law and history I had found in my many postdocs at Princeton, Brown, Harvard, the Folger, etc. Also, Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, especially his description of Charles II's Portuguese wife. Gracious, French-raised Charles of course introduced his new wife to his mistress within a week of her landing in England with her household of black widow attendants. Should be in the NA for its prose and its insight into comparative cultures. (Since my students were predominately Portuguese, Brazilian and Azorean, they were attentive.)
July 14, 2014
The text for my first semester of senior English.
Mr. Edwards, I know it's been more than twenty years, but you were a brilliant teacher. Wherever you are now, whatever you are doing, I truly hope that life has repaid you generously for the fine work you did with us. I breezed through college English courses in large part because you taught me everything I needed to know. All the rest was just picking good reading lists. Thank you, again. You are part of my brilliant English teacher triumvirate, along with Mr. Rosenberg (6th) and Mr. Schuszler (7th). And how sad is it that all three of you guys stopped teaching?
Mr. Edwards, I know it's been more than twenty years, but you were a brilliant teacher. Wherever you are now, whatever you are doing, I truly hope that life has repaid you generously for the fine work you did with us. I breezed through college English courses in large part because you taught me everything I needed to know. All the rest was just picking good reading lists. Thank you, again. You are part of my brilliant English teacher triumvirate, along with Mr. Rosenberg (6th) and Mr. Schuszler (7th). And how sad is it that all three of you guys stopped teaching?
May 21, 2021
You gotta be either in English Literature studies or have some sort of reason to try to get through this mammoth of a collection of early English lit. Extremely dry and don’t bother unless you have it on your shelf and feel like you need some sort of gruelling read to get through. Admittedly reading this I have become more ‘well read’ than before, and that’s gotta count as something.
December 23, 2010
As this is one of my textbooks for school, I only did the assigned readings for the class. I really enjoyed all of the readings I did and I have plans to read this volume from start to finish at some point.
I'm just going to do a quick blurb and rating for each text I read for now so I can shelve this guy.
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney 5/5
This was a poem I had wanted to read for a while and I was ecstatic for an excuse to finally do so. This Middle Ages epic poem did not disappoint in any way. The characters are charismatic and the tensions elicited between barbarism and civilization, good and evil, and pride and humility were fascinating components. I could dissect this text to death (and did in class), but I’ll refrain here. All in all it was fantastic, and I can see why J.R.R. Tolkien studied it like he did and wrote his own epic stories loosely based on it.
The General Prologue, The Miller’s Prologue and Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer (from The Canterbury Tales) 4/5
This is yet another great poem I had meant to read long before this since I hear about it everywhere. Actually reading it was a feat, so I’m glad I had a reason to do so or I’m not sure I could have persevered. The stories themselves were great, the characters have depth and are relatable, and their stories had wonderful comedic and/or dramatic effect while still managing to convey a major societal critique. The only issue I had was with Chaucer’s language, it is HORRIBLY difficult to read. The only way I managed to get the hang of it was by reading aloud and doing so in a Swedish-Medieval English hybrid accent. I sounded like an idiot but it worked. Chaucer’s best characters are his women, and I can’t wait to read this entire work and meet the entire cast.
Morte Darthur, by Thomas Malory 5/5
If I am a sucker for anything, I am a sucker for Arthurian tales. They’re what I live for. This anthology only has four chapters from this major work in it, but they’re very good chapters. I believe they’re the last chapters of Book 21 and some from Book 20 (at least that’s what corresponds with the entire work of Morte Darthur that I have). The chapter names are _The Conspiracy Against Lancelot and Guinevere_, _War Breaks Out Between Arthur and Lancelot_, _The Death of Arthur_, and _The Deaths of Lancelot and Guinevere_. All deliver what they’re names promise. The main critique at work in these bits is that pride and selfishness are major destructive forces, which are really fun to pick apart (if you’re a dork like me). All in all, there is a reason this story is timeless, it’s absolutely fabulous.
The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spencer 4/5
I was only required to read Canto 1 of Book 1 for class, and I’m afraid I stopped there, although I wish I hadn’t. I think it’s unfair to say anything positive or negative about this work considering how very little of it I read. So all I’ll say is that I really enjoy Spencer himself and his personal controversies with his age, and his use of language is exquisite. The part of the tale that I read was interesting and evocative, containing a depth I’m really looking forward to exploring later. From what I’ve gathered so far, the knight is going to have many more temptations to come.
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe 4/5
I’m picky about my plays, but this one didn’t disappoint. It was a superb read, aside from the overuse of Latin (that I absolutely butchered!), that was very interesting. I was very much entertained by it, especially by Faustus and his complete ineptitude concerning God, Mephastophilis, and Satan. This is the original “sell your soul to the devil” tale, and it’s probably one of the best I’ve ever read (not surprising). I highly recommend it.
Sonnets, by William Shakespeare. 5/5
I’m a Shakespeare fan, but I don’t want to discuss every sonnet I was required to read. I could, and I’d enjoy it, but I think that would be overkill. I’ll just list and rate the ones I read. However I will say that all are worth a read, especially since not one conforms to “normal” sonnet convention of the day. There is a reason he is called The Immortal Bard, and he proves it.
3 -4/5
12 -4/5
15 -4/5
18 -5/5 (this is a VERY famous one)
19 -4/5
20 -4.5/5
23 -4/5
29 -4.5/5
30 -4/5
33 -4.5/5 (this one is a fairly dark and lamenting one)
55 -5/5
60 -4.5/5
62 -4.5/5
65 -4/5
71 -5/5
73 -4/5
80 -4/5
85 -4/5
87 -4/5
93 -4/5
94 -4/5
97 -4/5
105 -4.5/5
106 -5/5
116 -4.5/5
129 -4/5
130 -5/5 (this one too is amongst his most famous and one of my very favourites)
135 -4/5
138 -4.5/5
144 -4.5/5
146 -4/5 (I really loved this one, but to this day I have absolutely no idea what it means)
147 -4.5/5
152 -4.5/5
Holy Sonnets, by John Donne 4/5
I’m going to do the same I did for Shakespeare’s sonnets. As well as say that these are samples from his early career all the way to his later life. All of them are very good; the language and imagery express vivid emotion. I’m glad to see Donne get’s the honour due him now. The age he was in has no idea the gem it overlooked.
1 -5/5
5 -4.5/5
7 -4/5
9 -5/5
10 -5/5
13 -4.5/5
14 -5/5
18 -4/5
19 -4.5/5
“Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women”, by Aemilia Lanyer (from Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum 4/5
Overall this was a really wonderful poem. The first three stanzas were my favourite parts and parts that I felt held the most meaning. This is a very feminist poem considering its content and the year in which it was published (1611). It mainly calls on the power of intentions and choice, and good and evil. It also crosses gender boundaries, which is always a fun thing to look for in old texts. When women are the embodiments of reason in an old text and men the passionate fools, you know some man in power at the time, along with the critics, really aren’t going to like it.
“When I Consider How My Light is Spent”, by John Milton 4/5
Milton is positively one of my favourite writers of all time, and I haven’t come across something he’s written and not loved it. This poem is both mesmerizing and moving. It concerns Milton’s struggle with the loss of his eyesight and God’s divine plan for him. His pain, loss, hurt, and eventual acceptance are strikingly articulated in a way only Milton seems to be able to do it. His contribution to the English language has always struck me and I believe he is truly timeless.
Paradise Lost, by John Milton 5/5
I was only required to read Books 1 and 2 of this famous and epic text, but I can say with 100% certainty that I will be reading the remaining 10, not only because I have three editions of it but also because it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever set my eyes on. Satan (no longer permitted to be called Lucifer), is the ultimate protagonist. He’s charming, charismatic, forlorn, brave, strong, and so utterly tread-upon by the all-knowing Father that you can’t help but adore him. He is so stoic, and his way with words it nothing less than powerful and moving. I would have followed him! You can’t help but root for Milton’s Father of Lies. Milton’s use of language in the two books alone is seriously why he is a revered legend, his imagery, his wit, his invocation of epic conventions just leave you shaking your head at the awe-inspiring way his poem moves you. Needless to say, I couldn’t have loved this text more.
The Rape of the Lock, by Alexander Pope 3/5
As I’m a fan of seriousness, morbidity, and plot, I don’t think I appreciated Pope’s work as much as I should have. I found it very amusing at points, as I was supposed to, and I think this epic in miniature, aka heroi-comical, is full of some intensely evocative imagery and wonderful metaphors, but it wasn’t my favourite. I believe Pope proves himself to be a great of his day –a true wit– despite his lack of formal education and I really enjoyed this tale of the theft of a lock of hair and the hysterics it causes, but I felt it was too long and drawn out. It kind of kept going after the point was made so that it was almost like work to finish it. I think people who like drôle poetry would enjoy this, the social critique behind it is fabulously put, but for me, it was a little too much.
Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave, by Aphra Behn 4/5
This work is considered to be the first novel, and it set the conventions for that type of work. It is part travel narrative, biography, and abolitionist text (although I really doubt that aspect was part of the author’s intention). It tells the tale of Oroonoko, a Royal African prince and the hero of our story. The narrative recounts his life, his upbringing, the beautiful woman he falls for and then looses in a terrible series of events, and his own harsh demise. It is a wonderful story filled with vibrant characters and locales, bringing to light the lives of African slaves shipped away from their homes. Behn makes quite a few statements in this work, her feminism and royalist bent are very obvious. It was a fast and easy read, both powerful and moving. I recommend it to everyone.
Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift 5/5
I was really disappointed when I discovered that the editors of this anthology cut out a few chapters from this story. Only one from Part II, but most from Part III, so I am making it my mission to get my hands on a full copy of GT and read it all. What I read I really, really enjoyed. The very obvious critiques on English culture and belief, the worlds, the characters, ideals, and every other component made for a fascinating and engaging read. I think anyone, young and old, would love this novel. It’s brilliant, yet simple. Straightforward yet complex. All in all, it’s splendid. Houyhnhnmland is my favourite place, but Lilliput and Brobdingnag were very entertaining as well. It also amuses me that Swift originally published GT under the name of the Lemuel Gulliver (his main character) in order to give it greater credibility as a travel narrative.
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, by Samuel Johnson 4/5
The 48 chapters of this work are in the form of the moral fable. The message behind each “tale” in each chapter concerns the pursuit of happiness and the choices we all face. They were all interesting and contained a fair measure of depth. Every clichéd moral life lesson known to man is in this work since Johnson said them first. The writing of this piece made up for the lack of plot and character development. I like fables, so this really kept my attention. Overall it was well done and had quite a bit to say.
from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, by Olaudah Equiano 5/5
This anthology only contains two chapters of this work, The Middle Passage and A Free Man, but I intend to get a full copy. For me, this was an eye-opening piece, so I can hardly imagine the reception it received when it was published in the 18th century. I’ve read very few abolitionist texts but after reading this I understand why they’re so powerful. Equiano’s writing is interesting, clear, and concise, and his point of view is truly powerful. I look forward to reading more of his story.
And those are all the texts I was required to read for fall of 2010.
I'm just going to do a quick blurb and rating for each text I read for now so I can shelve this guy.
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney 5/5
This was a poem I had wanted to read for a while and I was ecstatic for an excuse to finally do so. This Middle Ages epic poem did not disappoint in any way. The characters are charismatic and the tensions elicited between barbarism and civilization, good and evil, and pride and humility were fascinating components. I could dissect this text to death (and did in class), but I’ll refrain here. All in all it was fantastic, and I can see why J.R.R. Tolkien studied it like he did and wrote his own epic stories loosely based on it.
The General Prologue, The Miller’s Prologue and Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer (from The Canterbury Tales) 4/5
This is yet another great poem I had meant to read long before this since I hear about it everywhere. Actually reading it was a feat, so I’m glad I had a reason to do so or I’m not sure I could have persevered. The stories themselves were great, the characters have depth and are relatable, and their stories had wonderful comedic and/or dramatic effect while still managing to convey a major societal critique. The only issue I had was with Chaucer’s language, it is HORRIBLY difficult to read. The only way I managed to get the hang of it was by reading aloud and doing so in a Swedish-Medieval English hybrid accent. I sounded like an idiot but it worked. Chaucer’s best characters are his women, and I can’t wait to read this entire work and meet the entire cast.
Morte Darthur, by Thomas Malory 5/5
If I am a sucker for anything, I am a sucker for Arthurian tales. They’re what I live for. This anthology only has four chapters from this major work in it, but they’re very good chapters. I believe they’re the last chapters of Book 21 and some from Book 20 (at least that’s what corresponds with the entire work of Morte Darthur that I have). The chapter names are _The Conspiracy Against Lancelot and Guinevere_, _War Breaks Out Between Arthur and Lancelot_, _The Death of Arthur_, and _The Deaths of Lancelot and Guinevere_. All deliver what they’re names promise. The main critique at work in these bits is that pride and selfishness are major destructive forces, which are really fun to pick apart (if you’re a dork like me). All in all, there is a reason this story is timeless, it’s absolutely fabulous.
The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spencer 4/5
I was only required to read Canto 1 of Book 1 for class, and I’m afraid I stopped there, although I wish I hadn’t. I think it’s unfair to say anything positive or negative about this work considering how very little of it I read. So all I’ll say is that I really enjoy Spencer himself and his personal controversies with his age, and his use of language is exquisite. The part of the tale that I read was interesting and evocative, containing a depth I’m really looking forward to exploring later. From what I’ve gathered so far, the knight is going to have many more temptations to come.
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe 4/5
I’m picky about my plays, but this one didn’t disappoint. It was a superb read, aside from the overuse of Latin (that I absolutely butchered!), that was very interesting. I was very much entertained by it, especially by Faustus and his complete ineptitude concerning God, Mephastophilis, and Satan. This is the original “sell your soul to the devil” tale, and it’s probably one of the best I’ve ever read (not surprising). I highly recommend it.
Sonnets, by William Shakespeare. 5/5
I’m a Shakespeare fan, but I don’t want to discuss every sonnet I was required to read. I could, and I’d enjoy it, but I think that would be overkill. I’ll just list and rate the ones I read. However I will say that all are worth a read, especially since not one conforms to “normal” sonnet convention of the day. There is a reason he is called The Immortal Bard, and he proves it.
3 -4/5
12 -4/5
15 -4/5
18 -5/5 (this is a VERY famous one)
19 -4/5
20 -4.5/5
23 -4/5
29 -4.5/5
30 -4/5
33 -4.5/5 (this one is a fairly dark and lamenting one)
55 -5/5
60 -4.5/5
62 -4.5/5
65 -4/5
71 -5/5
73 -4/5
80 -4/5
85 -4/5
87 -4/5
93 -4/5
94 -4/5
97 -4/5
105 -4.5/5
106 -5/5
116 -4.5/5
129 -4/5
130 -5/5 (this one too is amongst his most famous and one of my very favourites)
135 -4/5
138 -4.5/5
144 -4.5/5
146 -4/5 (I really loved this one, but to this day I have absolutely no idea what it means)
147 -4.5/5
152 -4.5/5
Holy Sonnets, by John Donne 4/5
I’m going to do the same I did for Shakespeare’s sonnets. As well as say that these are samples from his early career all the way to his later life. All of them are very good; the language and imagery express vivid emotion. I’m glad to see Donne get’s the honour due him now. The age he was in has no idea the gem it overlooked.
1 -5/5
5 -4.5/5
7 -4/5
9 -5/5
10 -5/5
13 -4.5/5
14 -5/5
18 -4/5
19 -4.5/5
“Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women”, by Aemilia Lanyer (from Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum 4/5
Overall this was a really wonderful poem. The first three stanzas were my favourite parts and parts that I felt held the most meaning. This is a very feminist poem considering its content and the year in which it was published (1611). It mainly calls on the power of intentions and choice, and good and evil. It also crosses gender boundaries, which is always a fun thing to look for in old texts. When women are the embodiments of reason in an old text and men the passionate fools, you know some man in power at the time, along with the critics, really aren’t going to like it.
“When I Consider How My Light is Spent”, by John Milton 4/5
Milton is positively one of my favourite writers of all time, and I haven’t come across something he’s written and not loved it. This poem is both mesmerizing and moving. It concerns Milton’s struggle with the loss of his eyesight and God’s divine plan for him. His pain, loss, hurt, and eventual acceptance are strikingly articulated in a way only Milton seems to be able to do it. His contribution to the English language has always struck me and I believe he is truly timeless.
Paradise Lost, by John Milton 5/5
I was only required to read Books 1 and 2 of this famous and epic text, but I can say with 100% certainty that I will be reading the remaining 10, not only because I have three editions of it but also because it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever set my eyes on. Satan (no longer permitted to be called Lucifer), is the ultimate protagonist. He’s charming, charismatic, forlorn, brave, strong, and so utterly tread-upon by the all-knowing Father that you can’t help but adore him. He is so stoic, and his way with words it nothing less than powerful and moving. I would have followed him! You can’t help but root for Milton’s Father of Lies. Milton’s use of language in the two books alone is seriously why he is a revered legend, his imagery, his wit, his invocation of epic conventions just leave you shaking your head at the awe-inspiring way his poem moves you. Needless to say, I couldn’t have loved this text more.
The Rape of the Lock, by Alexander Pope 3/5
As I’m a fan of seriousness, morbidity, and plot, I don’t think I appreciated Pope’s work as much as I should have. I found it very amusing at points, as I was supposed to, and I think this epic in miniature, aka heroi-comical, is full of some intensely evocative imagery and wonderful metaphors, but it wasn’t my favourite. I believe Pope proves himself to be a great of his day –a true wit– despite his lack of formal education and I really enjoyed this tale of the theft of a lock of hair and the hysterics it causes, but I felt it was too long and drawn out. It kind of kept going after the point was made so that it was almost like work to finish it. I think people who like drôle poetry would enjoy this, the social critique behind it is fabulously put, but for me, it was a little too much.
Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave, by Aphra Behn 4/5
This work is considered to be the first novel, and it set the conventions for that type of work. It is part travel narrative, biography, and abolitionist text (although I really doubt that aspect was part of the author’s intention). It tells the tale of Oroonoko, a Royal African prince and the hero of our story. The narrative recounts his life, his upbringing, the beautiful woman he falls for and then looses in a terrible series of events, and his own harsh demise. It is a wonderful story filled with vibrant characters and locales, bringing to light the lives of African slaves shipped away from their homes. Behn makes quite a few statements in this work, her feminism and royalist bent are very obvious. It was a fast and easy read, both powerful and moving. I recommend it to everyone.
Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift 5/5
I was really disappointed when I discovered that the editors of this anthology cut out a few chapters from this story. Only one from Part II, but most from Part III, so I am making it my mission to get my hands on a full copy of GT and read it all. What I read I really, really enjoyed. The very obvious critiques on English culture and belief, the worlds, the characters, ideals, and every other component made for a fascinating and engaging read. I think anyone, young and old, would love this novel. It’s brilliant, yet simple. Straightforward yet complex. All in all, it’s splendid. Houyhnhnmland is my favourite place, but Lilliput and Brobdingnag were very entertaining as well. It also amuses me that Swift originally published GT under the name of the Lemuel Gulliver (his main character) in order to give it greater credibility as a travel narrative.
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, by Samuel Johnson 4/5
The 48 chapters of this work are in the form of the moral fable. The message behind each “tale” in each chapter concerns the pursuit of happiness and the choices we all face. They were all interesting and contained a fair measure of depth. Every clichéd moral life lesson known to man is in this work since Johnson said them first. The writing of this piece made up for the lack of plot and character development. I like fables, so this really kept my attention. Overall it was well done and had quite a bit to say.
from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, by Olaudah Equiano 5/5
This anthology only contains two chapters of this work, The Middle Passage and A Free Man, but I intend to get a full copy. For me, this was an eye-opening piece, so I can hardly imagine the reception it received when it was published in the 18th century. I’ve read very few abolitionist texts but after reading this I understand why they’re so powerful. Equiano’s writing is interesting, clear, and concise, and his point of view is truly powerful. I look forward to reading more of his story.
And those are all the texts I was required to read for fall of 2010.
January 28, 2023
if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com
??? 80s: read at u for class. as any anthology some great, some less. as i am now reaching five thousand books of all sorts, i decide to put this on, though i no longer have it, have forgotten many works but... this is my first mature exposure to serious literary literature, this is when i started to truly read not simply for entertainment, as a way to pass time, but ways to develop time, learn time, experience time. this is the opposite of physical time, winding down, running out, ceasing- this is time diversifying, multiplying, flourishing, coming to more and more potentials...
more
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2: The Romantic Period through the Twentieth Century
note: these are simply the most recent editions, i only remember them as very heavy, fat books, with onion-skin paper. perhaps students are fortunate to read ebooks now...
??? 80s: read at u for class. as any anthology some great, some less. as i am now reaching five thousand books of all sorts, i decide to put this on, though i no longer have it, have forgotten many works but... this is my first mature exposure to serious literary literature, this is when i started to truly read not simply for entertainment, as a way to pass time, but ways to develop time, learn time, experience time. this is the opposite of physical time, winding down, running out, ceasing- this is time diversifying, multiplying, flourishing, coming to more and more potentials...
more
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2: The Romantic Period through the Twentieth Century
note: these are simply the most recent editions, i only remember them as very heavy, fat books, with onion-skin paper. perhaps students are fortunate to read ebooks now...
Want to read
November 27, 2007s
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but then again, that's to be expected from brit lit.
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but then again, that's to be expected from brit lit.
February 18, 2011
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 / 0-393-95469-2
If you are looking at purchasing this book, you've either been required to purchase it for a college course, or you are considering investing in an English literature anthology for your own library and you want to know if this anthology is worth your money. If you are required to buy this book for a course, my review won't matter to you much one way or another, so this is slated towards the latter group.
This is an excellent resource for English literature selections and excerpts. A good deal of the selections are poetry or lyrical selections; most of the prose selections are small excerpts meant only to give you the "feel" of the author's writing style. Nor does this book waste space duplicating works readily available elsewhere - the Shakespeare section is entirely lyrical, under the assumption that a Shakespeare dilettante can easily find access to the plays elsewhere. Invest in a copy if you have any interest in early English literature (particularly poetry) and you won't be sorry. The authors and contents represented include:
OLD ENGLISH SELECTIONS
- Battle of Maldon
- Bede and Caedmon's Hymn
- Beowulf
- Chaucer, Geoffrey
- Dream of the Rood
- Everyman
- Kempe, Margery
- Malory, Sir Thomas
- Piers Plowman
- Second Shephers' Play
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Wanderer
- York Play of the Crucifixion
SIXTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Ascham, Roger
- Campion, Thomas
- Daniel, Samuel
- Davies, Sir John
- Drayton, Michael
- Foxe, John
- Gascoigne, George
- Golding, Arthur
- Herbert, Mary
- Hoby, Sir Thomas
- Hooker, Richard
- Howard, Henry
- Lane, Ralph
- Lanyer, Aemilia
- Lyly, John
- Marlowe, Christopher
- More, Sir Thomas
- Nashe, Thomas
- Ralegh, Sir Walter
- Shakespeare, William
- Sidney, Sir Philip
- Skelton, John
- Southwell, Robert
- Spenser, Edmund
- Wroth, Lady Mary
- Wyatt, Sir Thomas
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Bacon, Fracis
- Brown, Sir Thomas
- Burton, Robert
- Carew, Thomas
- Cowley, Abraham
- Crashaw, Richard
- Denham, Sir John
- Donne, John
- Halkett, Lady Anne
- Herbert, George
- Herrick, Robert
- Hobbes, Thomas
- Hyde, Edward
- Jonson, Ben
- King, Henry
- Lilburne, John
- Locke, John
- Lovelace, Richard
- Marvell, Andrew
- Milton, John
- Newton, Sir Isaac
- Osborne, Dorothy
- Suckling, Sir John
- Traherne, Thomas
- Vaughan, Henry
- Waller, Edmund
- Walton, Izaak
- Webster, John
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Addison, Joseph
- Astell, Mary
- Boswell, James
- Bunyan, John
- Butler, Samuel
- Collins, William
- Congreve, William
- Cowper, William
- Crabbe, George
- Defoe, Daniel
- Dryden, John
- Finch, Anne
- Gay, John
- Goldsmith, Oliver
- Gray, Thomas
- Johnson, Samuel
- Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley
- Pepys, Samuel
- Pope, Alexander
- Prior, Matthew
- Smart, Christopher
- Steele, Sir Richard
- Swift, Jonathan
- Thomson, James
- Wilmot, John
~ Ana Mardoll
If you are looking at purchasing this book, you've either been required to purchase it for a college course, or you are considering investing in an English literature anthology for your own library and you want to know if this anthology is worth your money. If you are required to buy this book for a course, my review won't matter to you much one way or another, so this is slated towards the latter group.
This is an excellent resource for English literature selections and excerpts. A good deal of the selections are poetry or lyrical selections; most of the prose selections are small excerpts meant only to give you the "feel" of the author's writing style. Nor does this book waste space duplicating works readily available elsewhere - the Shakespeare section is entirely lyrical, under the assumption that a Shakespeare dilettante can easily find access to the plays elsewhere. Invest in a copy if you have any interest in early English literature (particularly poetry) and you won't be sorry. The authors and contents represented include:
OLD ENGLISH SELECTIONS
- Battle of Maldon
- Bede and Caedmon's Hymn
- Beowulf
- Chaucer, Geoffrey
- Dream of the Rood
- Everyman
- Kempe, Margery
- Malory, Sir Thomas
- Piers Plowman
- Second Shephers' Play
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Wanderer
- York Play of the Crucifixion
SIXTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Ascham, Roger
- Campion, Thomas
- Daniel, Samuel
- Davies, Sir John
- Drayton, Michael
- Foxe, John
- Gascoigne, George
- Golding, Arthur
- Herbert, Mary
- Hoby, Sir Thomas
- Hooker, Richard
- Howard, Henry
- Lane, Ralph
- Lanyer, Aemilia
- Lyly, John
- Marlowe, Christopher
- More, Sir Thomas
- Nashe, Thomas
- Ralegh, Sir Walter
- Shakespeare, William
- Sidney, Sir Philip
- Skelton, John
- Southwell, Robert
- Spenser, Edmund
- Wroth, Lady Mary
- Wyatt, Sir Thomas
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Bacon, Fracis
- Brown, Sir Thomas
- Burton, Robert
- Carew, Thomas
- Cowley, Abraham
- Crashaw, Richard
- Denham, Sir John
- Donne, John
- Halkett, Lady Anne
- Herbert, George
- Herrick, Robert
- Hobbes, Thomas
- Hyde, Edward
- Jonson, Ben
- King, Henry
- Lilburne, John
- Locke, John
- Lovelace, Richard
- Marvell, Andrew
- Milton, John
- Newton, Sir Isaac
- Osborne, Dorothy
- Suckling, Sir John
- Traherne, Thomas
- Vaughan, Henry
- Waller, Edmund
- Walton, Izaak
- Webster, John
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
- Addison, Joseph
- Astell, Mary
- Boswell, James
- Bunyan, John
- Butler, Samuel
- Collins, William
- Congreve, William
- Cowper, William
- Crabbe, George
- Defoe, Daniel
- Dryden, John
- Finch, Anne
- Gay, John
- Goldsmith, Oliver
- Gray, Thomas
- Johnson, Samuel
- Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley
- Pepys, Samuel
- Pope, Alexander
- Prior, Matthew
- Smart, Christopher
- Steele, Sir Richard
- Swift, Jonathan
- Thomson, James
- Wilmot, John
~ Ana Mardoll
October 29, 2018
I’ve been eyeing this book for a while and was quite afraid that someone else will buy it as it was the last copy in my city, acting on my fear, I’ve hidden the book in a corner where no one else would find it and had decided to wait until I’ve had the money for it.
Come my birthday week I've decided to treat myself and get the book; which to my good luck, it remained in the same spot I've left it!
Going home pleased with my purchase, I've started reading it while enjoying the rich content it contained. I've always had an appreciation for literature and living where I am you could not find many books that highlight key writings of the genre; so you could understand my cheerfulness when I've finally found a book like this anthology.
Come my birthday week I've decided to treat myself and get the book; which to my good luck, it remained in the same spot I've left it!
Going home pleased with my purchase, I've started reading it while enjoying the rich content it contained. I've always had an appreciation for literature and living where I am you could not find many books that highlight key writings of the genre; so you could understand my cheerfulness when I've finally found a book like this anthology.
Read
June 1, 2022After seeing 'The Green Knight', I decided to re-read 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', forty-five years after the first time. I remember not liking it then, but I actually loved it this time. Mature tastes, or just more patience? Certainly a lot more understanding of the symbolisms beyond the obvious Christian ones that long-ago professor focused on. Of note: I re-read it in the same book I first read it in. Surprised to find I lugged it around all these years.
January 15, 2023
“We read to know we are not alone.” C.S. Lewis
True each edition reflects a different way of looking at the material and occasionally a new insight. However coming from near zero and have read the basic literature without the aid of a trained eye, to tell you what you are missing.
I am having hours of great fun just reading from front to back. It is like getting many free books (annotations, introductions, and explanations) all wrapped up in one. Not only do you learn more about the literature, but you can retain more when the story has meaning and is in a context.
I do have to confess that there is some literature that I never heard about. So, in the process of reading, I am also expanding my repertoire.
True each edition reflects a different way of looking at the material and occasionally a new insight. However coming from near zero and have read the basic literature without the aid of a trained eye, to tell you what you are missing.
I am having hours of great fun just reading from front to back. It is like getting many free books (annotations, introductions, and explanations) all wrapped up in one. Not only do you learn more about the literature, but you can retain more when the story has meaning and is in a context.
I do have to confess that there is some literature that I never heard about. So, in the process of reading, I am also expanding my repertoire.
November 29, 2021
A monumental anthology which is necessary for any major or, actually, any well-educated person. Works are amazingly picked, including a great preface to every author, as well as a critique for their works. The footnotes make reading much easier than it should have been. The only con of this book is that the earlier volumes include works written in their original form, without a translation to the modern English, which makes it intensively hard to read.
December 29, 2025
lugged this around with me (and volume 2) everyday for an entire semester. let me tell you, the scoliosis was worth it! leah whittington and victoria pipas changed lives via english 20, beautiful ppl and beautiful class. john donne, astophil and stella, passionate shepherd to his love, and lycidas are all bangers
January 20, 2019
It was long, but has given me some new authors to read. (I also had to read parts of this book for my studies into English Language and Culture at the University of Amsterdam).
Read
December 31, 2021eigenlijk niet maar nu is mijn challenge tenminste compleet lol... zeker nog van plan helemaal te lezen het is zo vett
March 9, 2024
Yes, I read the whole damn thing, every last page, from cover to cover. No, I don't recommend that you do too.
June 17, 2024
This is a wonderful book and I hope to collect them all. They are wonderful study tools for people like me who finds a fascination with literature.
December 5, 2017
This is absolutely necessary if you're planning on majoring in English or English Literature Studies. This book covers the earliest known writing in English from the early middle ages to the Restoration in the eighteenth century. The material is organized by era and author, going in chronological order for the most part. The background pieces are extremely helpful and there are glosses and notes to help readers understand the content (especially the more difficult texts from earlier and more obscure authors). I found the biographical and political information extremely helpful as well for helping to place where everything was on a timeline.
There are features for fan favorites like Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton but there are also many, many other authors featured in here who have contributed to literature during these early periods (Bede, Marie de France, Sir Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood to name a few). There are even some political writings such as the letters of the Tudor Queens Mary and Elizabeth I.
This is an academic text and very much reads like a history book (a big complaint from the other kids in my class). I read this for my Early British Literature class. There is a second volume which covers British literature from the 19th century until the current era (I'm pretty sure, but I haven't read that).
My rating is 4.5 stars, you'll definitely learn a lot about Early Brit Lit from this text, it's just a lot of reading and some of the texts are much more difficult to deal with than others, as with most collections, you feel varying emotions from piece to piece.
**Also, if you're getting this edition for a class, I highly suggest buying the split volume edition, which has three smaller books instead of the one bigger book, like I did so you don't have to lug the big book around at once (It has 2,000 plus pages and is the size of a dictionary). I'm thankful I did. The content is exactly the same between the one big and the split 3 volumes, so you should have no issues there.**
There are features for fan favorites like Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton but there are also many, many other authors featured in here who have contributed to literature during these early periods (Bede, Marie de France, Sir Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood to name a few). There are even some political writings such as the letters of the Tudor Queens Mary and Elizabeth I.
This is an academic text and very much reads like a history book (a big complaint from the other kids in my class). I read this for my Early British Literature class. There is a second volume which covers British literature from the 19th century until the current era (I'm pretty sure, but I haven't read that).
My rating is 4.5 stars, you'll definitely learn a lot about Early Brit Lit from this text, it's just a lot of reading and some of the texts are much more difficult to deal with than others, as with most collections, you feel varying emotions from piece to piece.
**Also, if you're getting this edition for a class, I highly suggest buying the split volume edition, which has three smaller books instead of the one bigger book, like I did so you don't have to lug the big book around at once (It has 2,000 plus pages and is the size of a dictionary). I'm thankful I did. The content is exactly the same between the one big and the split 3 volumes, so you should have no issues there.**
November 13, 2024
(gelezen voor universiteit)
April 13, 2011
In this case three stars indicate more my lack of an opinion than either my love or disdain for this book. As an anthology of pre-Romantic British literature, this Norton publication is more than competent: In it you'll find plenty classic literature, including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in its best translation and The Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English. I haven't yet read Twelfth Night, so I confess I am surprised to run across it (rather than, say, Hamlet or King Lear) as the representative Shakespeare here, but on that point I'll withhold judgement. I do sometimes wonder why the industry in Brit-Lit anthologies abounds so -- I have at least one other series, also by Norton, that includes mostly the same selections -- but I suppose I shouldn't begrudge. Clearly, the more copies of Beowulf I have on my bookshelf the smarter a person I must be...
July 28, 2008
I was dreading studying for the GRE Lit exam, especially having to read Paradise Lost and other poetry. But I finally get it. The Rape of the Lock is phenomenally funny, Paradise Lost (at least the parts concentrating on Satan) is an interesting read, and I've finally gotten over my hatred of poetry. I loved the witty comeback of The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd and the beauty of some of Donne's poems. He took the concept of religious devotion and made it almost sexual and he wrote quite racy (for his time) love poems like the Flea. I still don't think I'll like the Romantics (in fact they are likely the reason I never liked poetry in the first place--esp. Wordsworth), but that's a review for the next Norton...
August 12, 2013
This was a great collection of works. Each period has a clear introduction with plenty of information to get you in the mindset of that time. As well, there was an introduction to each author, which I found incredibly helpful for not only understanding their style of writing but also to gain information on other works they've done that weren't included. I think the collection in this book clearly portrayed the different periods and I wouldn't have changed anything.
The one thing I did find difficult was the accompanying website. The online version was not up-to-date and didn't contain any of the introductions, only the works. I'd prefer the entire collection including intros to be available online so I don't always have to carry a heavy book back and forth.
The one thing I did find difficult was the accompanying website. The online version was not up-to-date and didn't contain any of the introductions, only the works. I'd prefer the entire collection including intros to be available online so I don't always have to carry a heavy book back and forth.
September 14, 2014
This is one of the greatest anthologies of English literature ever produced. Under review here is the section on the early seventeenth-century, 1603-1660, Donne to Milton, edited by Katharine Eiseman Maus.
Maus writes a superb introduction that, printed in a paperback trim size with a normal font size and normal spaces between the lines, would have made a very informative short book. The readings are excellent; all are worthwhile and generally representative of the era. The selections from essays on philosophy, ethics, and learning are revealing of the mind of the era.
Nobody needs a Norton Anthology who has everything written by the authors represented. If you do not, then you need the Norton Anthology. Get it, but don't drop it on your toe.
Maus writes a superb introduction that, printed in a paperback trim size with a normal font size and normal spaces between the lines, would have made a very informative short book. The readings are excellent; all are worthwhile and generally representative of the era. The selections from essays on philosophy, ethics, and learning are revealing of the mind of the era.
Nobody needs a Norton Anthology who has everything written by the authors represented. If you do not, then you need the Norton Anthology. Get it, but don't drop it on your toe.
May 9, 2012
I like this series of textbooks. Each section has a clear, concise introduction to different aspects of that theme. It provides brief, informative biographies on each author. It includes a wide variety of authors and poets to choose from. There is no way you could cover everything in this book in one semester. It has wonderful footnotes to help clarify archaic words and phrases as well. All this is presented without any kind of opinion or critique, leaving the passages open for debate or personal interpretation. I really enjoyed it.
April 21, 2009
I am not claiming to have read this specific edition, but I took a course in Middle English verses. We read from works such as this, to include excerpts of Chaucer, and varieties of Middle English literature. Norton anthologies have a heft and an editorial authority, that challenges me, because I can never finish reading them, cover to cover. Someday, I will circle back to this one. It is getting late, and all we have is time.
November 24, 2011
This anthology was selected for an undergraduate 17th century literature course. Unfortunately, the anthology lacks a number of crucial female writers, especially Behn, Leapor, and Lennox, of the 18th century. The prefaces and backgrounds provided for each era in literary history are helpful to those in order to understand the context in which writers may write (In-depth information on Restoration, for example).
December 8, 2014
This was an assigned text for my British Literature class. A lot of difficult reading, but very fascinating. Some of my favorite readings were Beaowulf, Paradise Lost, and Gulliver't Travels. It was interesting to see the evolution of literature from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century.
April 23, 2017
That's right. I, Jason Kinn, give the best examples of English literature between Beowulf and 1750, as picked by the foremost scholars in the U.S. and Britain, three fucking stars. That's democracy for you.
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