Nine years ago, W. W. Norton changed the way world literature is taught by introducing The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces , Expanded Edition. Leading the field once again, Norton is proud to publish the anthology for the new century, The Norton Anthology of World Literature , Second Edition. Now published in six paperback volumes (packaged in two attractive slipcases), the new anthology boasts slimmer volumes, thicker paper, a bolder typeface, and dozens of newly included or newly translated works from around the world. The Norton Anthology of World Literature represents continuity as well as change. Like its predecessor, the anthology is a compact library of world literature, offering an astounding forty-three complete longer works, more than fifty prose works, over one hundred lyric poems, and twenty-three plays. More portable, more suitable for period courses, more pleasant to read, and more attuned to current teaching and research trends, The Norton Anthology of World Literature remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, and teachable anthology for the world literature survey.
I read many of these 20+ years ago in college. Knowing what I know now, most of these stories perpetuate patriarchal and misogynistic views. Paradise Lost had a completely different meaning to me now. The tale of Eve is just an excuse for the church to keep women subservient. Othello was just a tale of domestic violence, racism, and the consequences of false propaganda. Don Quixote promotes that even fools can become heroes. Hamlet is a tale of spoiled rich man taking advantage of teenage girls driving them to suicide. The Catholics destroyed the native works that didn't support their views. These books just promote why some have privilege for the last hundreds of years and why others do not.