The Norton Anthology of American Literature: v. 2 [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback: 2688 pages
• Publisher: WW Norton & Co; 2nd edition
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393953831
• ISBN-13: 978-0393953831
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,126,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another daunting literary anthology?, December 13, 2002

By 

Leah Freeman (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Edition (Paperback)

The misleading title of this anthology is the first thing that comes to mind when receiving it in the mail: "...Shorter Fifth Edition." After lugging it along on my hike to class every morning for the past semester, I have a few issues with that proudly displayed "shorter." There are few books I can think of that aren't shorter than this one. Length (and weight) aside, the comprehensiveness of the anthology is amazing. As an English major, I've read a lot of anthologies, but this one stands out among them. In addition to the standard fare (T. S. Eliot, "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Huck Finn") that we English majors read in class after class, it features a diverse range of refreshing and new entries. Every point of view under the ridiculously broad umbrella of Americanness seems to be represented here: the rarely-seen chants and myths of the Native Americans, the poetry of slaves, and an impressive number of women writers are all accounted for. It's a relief to read an anthology that doesn't just have the same old prose as every other anthology, and for that, I'm more than willing to drag the heavy book to and from campus.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Volume II: Lacks titles by major figures, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Norton Anthology of American Literature (Paperback)

While this anthology provides a wonderful array of texts by diverse authors, it is difficult to use in a survey course without supplementation. Given the high cost of the volume, it is difficult to justify asking students to purchase additional texts. However, to give two examples, both Fitzgerald and Hemingway are represented by just one story apiece. Surely Jack London or Frank Norris could have been limited to one text each in order to include more short selections or, better, a full novel by one or both of these important writers. I found it difficult to plan a semester that offered a full survey of Am lit using only this anthology.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a Beginning Library, May 11, 2000

By 

Curtis Barton (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Edition (Paperback)

One of the joys of life is found in reading and starting a collection for your own libary. I am a college student and had to use this shorter edition for my Major American Authors course. It provides a great way to meet many different writers and see what you personally like. It is true that your collection of books should show something about your personality; therefore, the most helpful part of this anthology is the amount of writers you will be able to become aquainted with and see if you like.

It provides more help by giving beautiful introductions and biographies of all of the writers included. I like the mix of short stories and some full length novels too. Very helpful and I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking to start a little library of their own.