The History of English Literature

Keenlyside, Perry

ISBN 10: 962634721X ISBN 13: 9789626347218

Publisher: Naxos Audio Books, 2001

Synopsis

Perry Keenlyside tells the story of the world's richest literary resource. The story-telling, the poetry, the growth of the novel and the great histories and essays which have informed the language and the imagination wherever English is spoken. This is the fourth in the Naxos Histories series.

About this title

From AudioFile:

It takes some hubris to suppose that you can even sweepthrough 600 years of British poetry and prose in a 5.3-hour cassettevolume. The attempt has yielded a listenable and informativeproduction. Yet, it is not up to the high standard of the publisher'sother "History Of..." recordings. The narrative is inelegant andoccasionally off the mark. There are lapses, as when the narratormentions that a particular author admired a now obscure Italian, butneither tells us who this Italian is nor explains why he brought himup. Or when he says Jane Austen is the first woman author mentioned onthe tape when Mary Shelley is. Speaking of Shelley, author ofFRANKENSTEIN, one plus of this treatment is that science fiction isgiven its due, whereas it is frequently dismissed or not acknowledgedat all. Excerpts from works cited are delivered with varying degreesof skill by several artists. But it is Derek Jacobi's amiable,precise, and lyrical narration, always fresh and committed, that givesthe exercise distinction and renders it pleasurable. Y.R. ©AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Naxos Audio Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 962634721X
• ISBN 13: 9789626347218
• Binding: Audio Cassette