This edition had all images removed.

Title: History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Note: Reading ease score: 62.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Contents: Preface -- List of authors -- Anglo-Saxon literature -- Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry -- Anglo-Saxon learning and prose -- After the Norman conquest -- Geoffrey of Monmouth -- Layamon's "Brut" -- The romances in rhyme -- Alliterative romances and poems -- Chaucer -- "Piers Plowman," Gower -- The successors of Chaucer -- Late mediaeval prose -- Malory -- Early Scottish literature -- Popular poetry; ballads; professional poetry -- Rise of the drama -- Wyatt and Surrey; Gascoigne; Sackville -- Prose of the Renaissance -- The Elizabethan stage and playwrights -- Other dramatists -- Elizabethan and Jacobean prose writers -- Late Elizabethan and Jacobean poets -- Late Jacobean and Caroline prose; Caroline prose -- Caroline poets -- Restoration theatre -- Augustan poetry -- Augustan prose -- Georgian poetry I -- Georgian poetry II -- Georgian prose I -- Georgian prose II -- The romantic movement -- Later Georgian novelists; magazines and essayists -- Poets after Wordsworth; general writers -- Late Victorian poets; poetic underwoods -- Latest Georgian and Victorian novelists -- Historians.

Credits: Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues and Marc D'Hooghe at
Free Literature (Images generously made available by the
Internet Archive)

Summary: "History of English Literature from 'Beowulf' to Swinburne" by Andrew Lang is a comprehensive historical account written in the early 20th century. This literary work surveys the evolution of English literature, tracing its roots from Anglo-Saxon texts through to the Victorian era. Lang aims to inspire readers to engage with the influential works of the past, emphasizing the importance of classic literature in shaping contemporary English culture. At the start of the text, Lang provides a preface outlining his approach to the immense topic of English literature, emphasizing that his book will not serve as an exhaustive encyclopedia but rather as a selective exploration focused on significant authors and their works. He reflects on the challenges of capturing a vast literary landscape and expresses his desire to spark interest among readers, encouraging them to discover these texts for themselves. The opening also emphasizes the foundational role of Anglo-Saxon literature, discussing the characteristics of early poetry and prose, including notable works like "Beowulf" and the cultural context that produced them, preparing the reader for a deeper exploration of historical literary currents. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Author: Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912

EBook No.: 56613

Published: Feb 21, 2018

Downloads: 220

Language: English

Subject: English literature -- History and criticism

LoCC: Language and Literatures: English literature

Category: Text

Rights: Public domain in the USA.

This edition has images.

Title: History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Note: Reading ease score: 62.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Contents: Preface -- List of authors -- Anglo-Saxon literature -- Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry -- Anglo-Saxon learning and prose -- After the Norman conquest -- Geoffrey of Monmouth -- Layamon's "Brut" -- The romances in rhyme -- Alliterative romances and poems -- Chaucer -- "Piers Plowman," Gower -- The successors of Chaucer -- Late mediaeval prose -- Malory -- Early Scottish literature -- Popular poetry; ballads; professional poetry -- Rise of the drama -- Wyatt and Surrey; Gascoigne; Sackville -- Prose of the Renaissance -- The Elizabethan stage and playwrights -- Other dramatists -- Elizabethan and Jacobean prose writers -- Late Elizabethan and Jacobean poets -- Late Jacobean and Caroline prose; Caroline prose -- Caroline poets -- Restoration theatre -- Augustan poetry -- Augustan prose -- Georgian poetry I -- Georgian poetry II -- Georgian prose I -- Georgian prose II -- The romantic movement -- Later Georgian novelists; magazines and essayists -- Poets after Wordsworth; general writers -- Late Victorian poets; poetic underwoods -- Latest Georgian and Victorian novelists -- Historians.

Credits: Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues and Marc D'Hooghe at
Free Literature (Images generously made available by the
Internet Archive)

Summary: "History of English Literature from 'Beowulf' to Swinburne" by Andrew Lang is a comprehensive historical account written in the early 20th century. This literary work surveys the evolution of English literature, tracing its roots from Anglo-Saxon texts through to the Victorian era. Lang aims to inspire readers to engage with the influential works of the past, emphasizing the importance of classic literature in shaping contemporary English culture. At the start of the text, Lang provides a preface outlining his approach to the immense topic of English literature, emphasizing that his book will not serve as an exhaustive encyclopedia but rather as a selective exploration focused on significant authors and their works. He reflects on the challenges of capturing a vast literary landscape and expresses his desire to spark interest among readers, encouraging them to discover these texts for themselves. The opening also emphasizes the foundational role of Anglo-Saxon literature, discussing the characteristics of early poetry and prose, including notable works like "Beowulf" and the cultural context that produced them, preparing the reader for a deeper exploration of historical literary currents. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Author: Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912

EBook No.: 56613

Published: Feb 21, 2018

Downloads: 220

Language: English

Subject: English literature -- History and criticism

LoCC: Language and Literatures: English literature

Category: Text

Rights: Public domain in the USA.