The Oxford illustrated history of English literature - Google Books
The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature
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Description
Britain possesses a literary heritage virtually unrivaled in the Western world. This lavishly illustrated volume explores the richness, diversity, and continuity of that tradition. Under the general editorship of Pat Rogers, some of Britain's foremost literary scholars trace the history of English literature from its first stirrings in Anglo-Saxon poetry to the present day.The contributors aim to convey to the reader the pleasure and exhilaration of literature, rather than to provide a bare outline of schools and periods of writing. At the heart of the volume towers the figure of Shakespeare, who has a special chapter devoted entirely to himself. The volume also offer detailed treatments of other major writers such as Chaucer, Milton, Donne, Wordsworth, Dickens, Eliot, and Auden, and up-to-date discussions of living authors such as Muriel Spark and Seamus Heaney. More than a mere chronology, this versatile work provides a basic core of information and invaluable supplementary material, including suggestions for further reading, maps, a chronological table of dates, and a detailed index with birth and death dates of individuals listed. It also moves beyond these facts and events to characterize the broad sweep of ideas and the main concerns of British writers over the past thirteen centuries.
The illustrations chosen--thirty-five in color and over two hundred in black and white--bring to life the content and concerns of the text. They range in subject from manuscripts and book illustrations to works of art and architecture, portraits, social scenes, landscapes, and caricatures, illuminating not only the literature but also the ideas, preoccupations, and outlooks that fostered it. Rather than simply decorating the text, the illustrations complement and enlarge it.
All experts in their chosen areas, the contributors bring to this volume a deep understanding and great enthusiasm and zest for their subject. Collectively, they have woven together the complex strands of English literature into a highly readable narrative.
Reviews
"A beautiful book! I'll definitely recommend it to students."--Carolyn Woodward, Univ. of New Mexico
"An impressive volume. The illustrations alone would make it so. Paintings, woodcuts, photographs, engravings, cartoons, and manuscripts have been chosen by the contributors as especially revealing of the concerns of the different eras. Portraits bring the authors to life. Even the captions are pithy little essays, making the most casual examination of the book a rewarding experience. For the serious student, this reference is a must."--Kliatt
"A compact and very useful overview that I intend to have all my students own."--Robert Dupree, University of Dallas
"Dexterous but not cursory, learned without being pedantic or sluggish, the authorities who've put their heads together here highlight exemplary works that have impressed and moved readers and that have contributed significantly to the phenomenally brilliant body of English literature. This large book is helpful as a reference, but it also reads fluidly from cover to cover. Quite engagingly illustrated."--Booklist
"This is a book of discoveries."--The Christian Science Monitor
Product Details
556 pages; 242 halftones & line illus, 35 color plates; ISBN13: 978-0-19-285437-7ISBN10: 0-19-285437-2About the Author(s)
Pat Rogers is DeBartolo Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of South Florida. He is the author of numerous books, including Grub Street, and editor of the Poems of Jonathan Swift.
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