A brief history of English literature - Peck, John, 1947-; Coyle, Martin (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
Old English literature -- Middle English literature -- Sixteenth-century poetry and prose -- Shakespeare -- Renaissance and restoration drama -- Seventeenth-century poetry and prose -- The eighteenth century -- The novel : the first hundred years -- The romantic period -- Victorian literature, 1837-1857 -- Victorian literature 1857-1876 -- Victorian literature 1876-1901 -- The twentieth century : the early years -- The twentieth century : between the wars -- The twentieth century : the Second World War -- The twenty-first century -- Periods of English language and literature -- Chronology.
A Brief History of English Literature provides a lively introductory guide to English literature from Beowulf to the present day. The authors write in their characteristically lucid style which enables the reader to engage fully with the narrative and easily understand the texts in relation to the social, political and cultural contexts in which they were written. A masterpiece of clarity and compression, this book is a must have for anyone interested in the history of literature from the British Isles
Includes bibliographical references (p. [354]-356) and index.
Keywords: English literature -- History and criticism; Great Britain -- Intellectual life