The Norton Anthology of English Literature-Revised-Volume 2

I had to study , read and read this anthology in graduate school. This was not hard to do, as the anthology contains the great milestones of English literature one of the great literatures of the world. To know English literature as a whole one would do well to read and study these volumes.

Most of the reviews submitted thus far tend to criticize the canon in general, as opposed to the editorial apparatus or the actual works contained within this tome. I for one am delighted with this book, and have found no logical substitute for it as of yet. Even when looking into the "Longman Anthology of British Literature" I found it considerably lacking. To deny the whole of "Paradise Lost" is inane (and yes, to include the work completely is neccessary if one is to truly appeciate it; without it the entire work, you might as well not include any of it at all) and to only offer one Shakesperean play is akin more to a meal, than a banquet (if I may sardonically quote their marketing ploy on the back of the Longman) - truly, the Norton is THE book for any English Literature survey course.

For some as-yet unknown reason, I feel compelled to defend the Norton Anthology against the various charges being brought against it here. So far, it's been accused of being a tool for "academically lazy" professors, [essentially] a superfluous moneygrubbing update, and something which (somehow) renders authors "boring." Another person feels that it's too poetry- and essay-heavy to be representative of the covered periods.I'll confess that I don't really understand these accusations. It is both what it looks like and what it claims to be: 3,000 pages with as much bang for your literary buck as is possible. The only novels included are those which are exceedingly important and/or representative of a period... which is as it should be. And frequent updates (which take place every few years -- hardly a serious issue for most people) are absolutely necessary. A static canon would be boring, and likely would leave scholars with nothing to do. I, for one, am happy with the authors added in the seventh edition. It's an outstanding introduction to two centuries of English lit.

I don't remember a time when I enjoyed reading a book so much in class and at home. I share these poems with my friends a family. Don't let the size scare you, it's enjoyable material and they usually don't ask you to read everything!

Since this is a book you will want to have around for a lifetime, because you will want to refer to it over and over, why not get the hardback version? Believe it or not, it only costs a buck and a quarter extra!