The two-volume Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Concise Edition provides an attractive alternative to the full six-volume anthology. Though much more compact, the Concise Edition nevertheless provides instructors with substantial choice, offering both a strong selection of canonical authors and a sampling of lesser-known works. With an unparalleled number of illustrations and contextual materials, accessible and engaging introductions, and full explanatory annotations, this edition of the acclaimed Broadview Anthology provides concise yet wide-ranging coverage for British literature survey courses.

Highlights of Volume A include: R.M. Liuzza’s acclaimed translation of Beowulf, along with new translations by Liuzza of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People and the Exeter Book Elegies; translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Marie de France's Lanval, set in parallel-column format with the original texts; a section on "The Elizabethan Sonnet and Lyric" showing the development of the sonnet both in England and across various countries in continental Europe; a new approach to King Lear, in which the full Folio version is printed along with three key scenes from the Quarto version (presented in parallel-column format); a section on "Laboring Class Poets" that includes poems by Mary Collier, Stephen Duck, and Mary Leapor; and the complete text of William Wycherley’s key eighteenth-century drama The Country Wife.

General Editors: 

Joseph Black, University of Massachusetts
Leonard Conolly, Trent University
Kate Flint, Rutgers University
Isobel Grundy, University of Alberta
Don LePan, Broadview Press
Roy Liuzza, University of Tennessee
Jerome J. McGann, University of Virginia
Anne Lake Prescott, Barnard College
Barry V. Qualls, Rutgers University
Claire Waters, University of California, Davis

Comments: 

"Broadview’s recent Anthology of British Literature is an exciting achievement. Broadview has accomplished what no other anthology to date has been able to do. In its selection of materials, the anthology successfully integrates significant but only recently acknowledged works alongside more familiar greats. Its introductory essays and useful appendices successfully reflect current scholarship while remaining student centered. ... With an impressive selection of literary works, an equally impressive collection of visual images, and an exemplary emphasis on print culture and history of the language, The Broadview Anthology not only rivals the Norton and the Longman, it sets a new standard by which all other anthologies of British literature will now have to be measured." - Graham Hammill, University of Notre Dame

"The simple fact is that a major work of student-centered scholarship has arrived in the field of English studies, and The Broadview Anthology of British Literature is no mere pretender to the throne long held by the Norton: it is the new standard." - Richard Nordquist, Armstrong Atlantic State University

"The plain fact is that [the Broadview] has no serious or up-to-date competition. And you can quote me!" - John Rempel, University of Manitoba

"The Broadview Anthology of British Literature promises to be a top competitor with similar volumes, such as the Norton and the Longman, and deservedly so. ... The section on Shakespeare is excellent... I regard the unhesitating confrontation with the difficulties of King Lear that is shown by the Broadview editors as a microcosmic illustration of the toughness, determination, and conscientiousness of the editors throughout this entire British literature anthology." - Robert H. Ray, Baylor University (author of Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare's King Lear)

For information about the full six-volume anthology, please visit www.broadviewpress.com/BABL.

Coursepack Option Available: Academics please note that for this title Broadview is happy to create a custom coursepack including only your selected readings. For more information please click here or email jtignanelli[at]broadviewpress.com* to request a price quote.

*Please replace [at] with the @ symbol.

Supplementary Materials: [Back to Top]

Academics please note: This text has an instructor's website containing a list of works organized by themes and by author, approaches to teaching, notes on teaching particular works, questions for discussion, and critical viewpoints/reception. The access code to this website is provided with all examination copies.   

This text also has an adjunct website for students where review questions, sound clips, supplementary readings, and a "texts and contexts" chronology can be found. An access code to this website is included with all new copies.   

Table of Contents: [Back to Top]
To view the full table of contents for this volume, please click here.