An Introduction to Literature

by Sylvan Barnet, William E. Cain, William Burto

A market leader for more than 30 years, this paperback anthology continues to uphold the traditions that have made it a success— a rich blend of both classic and contemporary selections as well as Barnet’s signature “how-to” apparatus that covers the elements of literature and the writing process. The new edition features more student essays than any other anthology giving students a deep reservoir of writing models to learn from including argument papers and film reviews. In addition, a wealth of instructor favorites have been added including works by D.H. Lawrence, Ambrose Bierce, Cynthia Ozick, Liliana Heker, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Thomas Hardy, Linda Pastan, and David Ives.

Genres: Literature, Reference, Poetry, Textbooks, Nonfiction, School, Classics

1672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Sylvan Barnet is an American literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. He is a Fletcher Professor of English Emeritus at Tufts University.

Barnet is the author of numerous books and articles on Shakespeare. He is the general editor of the Signet Classics Shakespeare,[1] the author of A Short Guide to Shakespeare,[2] and has written many textbooks. He is the co-author with William Burto of occasional essays on aspects of Japanese art.[3] He has also written books about the art of writing.

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my shelves since buying it for a college course 260 years ago. It is a great anthology of literature.

[Molli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't the best class in the world, but there were some pretty good pieces of prose in this book.