English literature in history, 1730-80: An equal, wide survey

This book is an excellent introduction to some of the most important themes of eighteenth-century Britain: the "gentleman," nationalism, and the increasing standardization of the English language.Each chapter focuses on a few works, not necessarily the most famous, but each work was adequately described, so that if you had not read it, you would still understand Barrell's point.I found the first chapter, "An erring gaze: the prospect of society in the poetry of James Thomson and John Dyer" the most helpful. It helps the reader understand some of the more "alien" (at least, for me) parts of eighteenth-century poetry, such as the emphasis on nature and the pastoral.The chapter on language is undeniably the most brilliant chapter as it brings together obscure grammar texts and explains the relationship of Johnson's Dictionary and these primers to the emergence of "standard" English based on the language of the upper class.