A history of English literature - Hardcover

Fowler, Alastair

3.71

14 ratings by Goodreads

9780631127314: A history of English literature

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0631127313 ISBN 13: 9780631127314

Publisher: B. Blackwell, 1989

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Most short histories of literature are in essence chronicles, sequences of names and dates with relatively little information about each or about their interrelations. In this book, by concentrating on literary form, the author aims to lay out a more continuous path through the connections and evolutions that link one period's literature with another's across the ruptures of history. The book's historical sweep from the Middle Ages to the present day is centred on the literature of England but takes occasional sideways steps to examine relevant Scottish, Irish, American and Commonwealth authors. While there is no pursuit of innovation for its own sake, the traditional canon comes in for revisions, with re-evaluations of such figures as Douglas, Drayton, Herrick and Ruskin as well as a new prominence for female writers such as Edgeworth and Welty. Nor is the accepted periodization sacrosanct: Scottish Chaucerians make way for the Scottish Renaissance and late Elizabethans are replaced by Mannerists. While content is by no means ignored, the emphasis on forms and schools allows room for extensive illustrative treatments of key figures such as Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, Dickens and James. This is a book aimed to give both information and pleasure. Guided throughout by the author, with explanations of technical terms as they occur, the reader is offered suggestions on how each writer can be approached for enjoyment. The book offers both an introduction for the student and lay reader, and a treatment of the development of genres and of the changing proportions of the literary model.

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Review:

Fowler sees both deep and wide, and manages to be not only useful but entertaining and willing to speculate...This [book] can surprise by its long views, its juxtapositions and its enthusiasms. (Frank Kermode London Review of Books)

Whatever literature is, it's to be found in A History of English Literature. Not just in the quotes, but in Fowler's own prose, sentence by sentence, in the architecture of his chapters, in the spirit of his book. It could well be that Fowler himself has created a work that should be included in the canon of literary works we all deserve to know first-hand. (Thomas D'Evelyn Christian Science Monitor)

Fowler's book [offers] brilliant assessments of scores of individual books and authors...In general his taste is catholic, and his eulogies are both perceptive and enthusiastic. He will persuade many readers to follow where he leads. (Kenneth Muir Times Higher Education Supplement)

Fowler is to be congratulated for the exhilarating flow of his historical narrative and his insights into authors as different as Pope and Pinter...His book is a reliable guide to the evolution of English literature and an important work of reference. (Alan Bold The Scotsman)

Most surveys of British literature become encyclopedic catalogs of authors and books. Fowler is more evaluative, his discussion more sustained. He analyzes types of literature within periods formally and stylistically, omitting all biographical detail and taking social background largely for granted. The result is judicious and balanced, showing a fresh interest in some neglected writers. Many literary terms are capitalized and briefly defined along the way, but this introductory device belies the actual sophistication of the text. The book would best serve informed students of literature who need a reacquaintance with period genres and innovations, or simply want to know what is worth reading and why. Fowler makes an excellent guide. (Donald Ray Library Journal)

From Library Journal:

Most surveys of British literature become encyclopedic catalogs of authors and books. Fowler is more evaluative, his discussion more sustained. He analyzes types of literature within periods formally and stylistically, omitting all biographical detail and taking social background largely for granted. The result is judicious and balanced, showing a fresh interest in some neglected writers. Many literary terms are capitalized and briefly defined along the way, but this introductory device belies the actual sophistication of the text. The book would best serve informed students of literature who need a reacquaintance with period genres and innovations, or simply want to know what is worth reading and why. Fowler makes an excellent guide.Donald Ray, Manhattanville Coll. Lib., Purchase, N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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