British Literature 1640 - 1789: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies) [Paperback]

Robert DeMaria Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2001 | ISBN-10: 063121769X | ISBN-13: 978-0631217695 | Edition: 2

The new edition of this successful anthology continues to challenge the boundaries of eighteenth-century literary study whilst thorough revisions make it even more useful to teachers and students.

• Includes more Dryden and Behn, as well as Congreve's The Way of the World.
  
  
• Retains the historical span and range of texts, canonical and previously marginalised, that made the first edition so attractive.
  
  
• Continues to represent many texts in their entirety, including Samuel Johnson's Rasselas, Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub, Eliza Haywood's Fantomina, Aphra Behn's Oronooko, Alexander Pope's Rape of the Lock and Daniel Defoe's Shortest Way with the Dissenters.
  
  
• An edited volume of critical essays, British Literature 1640-1789: A Critical Reader (Blackwell Publishers, 1999), accompanies this anthology providing the material for a complete course.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“ … contains a wide range of expected work (or samples of it, like three books from Paradise Lost, Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress”, Blake’s “The Tyger” and Burns’s “To a Mouse”) but also a representative selection of literature from women writers (the problematic of regarding literature by gender is itself of interest) and enough of a general context to give a coherent impression over a period often compartmentalized differently (say, into centuries).

The editor provides a helpful introduction with historical and cultural background. There is a select bibliography at the end, along with an index of titles and first lines. The editorial stance has been to modernize where necessary but not arbitrarily. Text and notes are well displayed on the page. A thematic index (gender, aesthetics, race/slavery, pastoral etc) is a useful feature. You get a lot for your money … The paperback is sturdily-bound and should survive regular consultation. Looking across the period from the Civil War to Romanticism opens up perspectives unknown to silo-thinking by period, and it is a rich and varied period with more than a few things to delight and surprise.”
Stuart Hannabuss, Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

The third edition of this successful anthology collects an exceptional range of historical literatures that span the period from the British Civil War to the French Revolution. This volume presents an extensive selection of canonical texts, many reprinted for from their earliest recoverable versions. Challenging the boundaries of eighteenth-century literary studies, this volume also includes many non-canonical works and many works by women writers of the period. Additionally, selections of literature from private and public life, from letters to political ballads, help to illuminate the history and cultural contexts in which the major literary works were created.This new edition includes a number of significant updates. In addition to reintroducing and extending selections from the previous editions and incorporating all new drama selections, new works by major authors have been added, including Pope's Eloisa to Abelard, a portion of Lucy Hutchinson's Order in Disorder, a pamphlet by Reeve and Muggleton, and Rochester's A Ramble in St. James Park. Additionally, timelines, an alternative list of contents by theme, and updated head notes lend added accessibility. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 976 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (July 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 063121769X
• ISBN-13: 978-0631217695
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great anthology, April 21, 2008

By 

Edward Yarborough (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: British Literature 1640 - 1789: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies) (Paperback)

This is an excellent anthology. It includes, in addition to the standard biggies such as Milton and Johnson, seldom reprinted authors such as Aphra Behn, Eliza Haywood, and Delariviere Manley, as well as some interesting contemporary documents such as court reports which aren't usually thought of as literature.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review the book here, not the seller!, October 24, 2005

By 

Monsieur L'Ingrate (capacitated) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Literature 1640 - 1789: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies) (Paperback)

Note that the first reviewer, below, gives a one-star review of his experience buying the book, not the book itself. This seems to me an unfair (if unintentional) trashing of a pretty decent anthology.

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Order this Book, October 7, 2005

By 

R. Valdez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: British Literature 1640 - 1789: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies) (Paperback)

Shipment was delayed again and again and was so late that I eventually cancelled this order.