Our way of looking at art in the year 2000 is steeped in the Romantic mentality. The idea of the true poet as lone inspired genius, starving in a garret, creating to express his (and it generally was 'his' in those days) inner turmoil or vision is so ingrained that there almost seems no other possible standard. Yet as M.H. Abrahms points out in this scholarly, yet readable work on Romantic poetry and theory, this view of art and the artist is only as old as the age of Coleridge and Wordsworth. Up until 200 odd years ago, the artist's job had been to act as a mirror, reflecting the world as accurately as possible. The Romantics sought to reverse over 2000 years of previous art criticism by pushing the artist to the forefront and insisting that he be seen as a lamp, illuminating the world with his imagination and vision. Abrahms thoroughly examines the development of Romantic philosophy through the writings of the major English poets and thinkers of the age, drawing in discussions of continental Romanticism as well. Romantic views on Nature, God, Poets and Poetry, Truth, Vision and of course the Imagination are all thoroughly researched and meticulously compiled, making this one of the most comprehensive single volume books on the subject.

As a budding english major, I have found Abrahms' book an absolute lifesaver. This is the best reference book on literary terms that I have found yet.

.....I've pursued creative writing as a hobby for the past several years and, not having any formal training, I've had to search out other ways to comprehend all the new literary jargon I was encountering. This glossary of literary terms offers clear and thorough defintions of each literary movement in history, terms common to the analyses of poetry (verse, metaphor, alliteration, etc.) terms frequently encountered in fiction-writing books (e.g., climax, mood, tone, etc.), terms of literary criticism and much more. Most terms also have examples that Abrams offers to clarify the exact meaning. I highly recommend this book to all writers and to anyone wanting to increase their knowledge of the understanding of the structure and/or history behind the writing they read.

I've used the 6th edition of this book for my research and own person edification for almost 5 years now. Abrams writes in a clear, understandable style that manages to enlight rather than confuse the reader. I've used other books like this one and they either give too little information or so much information that the reader is overwhelmed. Abrams manages to strike a perfect balance that gives you enough info to allow to be familiar with a topic and he offers suggestions for further reading if you want to know more.

This book is essential for any English major or graduate student.

For a book that takes no account of women writers, ignores Byron (for which NS was taken to task by later critics), and one that simply predated the New Historicism, NS's academic survival is testament to Abrams' giftedness as a writer and the force of his understanding. He deals with a few very large concepts that were important to the Romantic poets in England and Germany, most especially Wordsworth--the concept of the life-cycle in the Prelude and the Prospectus to the Recluse, for instance. These concepts are close-read out of key passages from the poets, then backgrounded in contemporary philosophy and biblical study. Abrams' title (borrowed from Carlye, with whom he also deals) suggests the largest thesis of his book, that Romanticism was an assimilative movement--one that incorporated in secular form Judaeo-Christian ideas and ideals. The book's agenda is itself incorporated into its structure--a manipulative move, perhaps, but one that makes for enjoyable and easy reading. The same cannot be said for many of the landmark works of Romantic criticism that followed--and while those works must be read, and NS must therefore be relegated to the category of "old school" criticism, this book will continue to withstand paradigm shifts in humanities research because it is one of those rare works of scholarship that's actually fun. Read with an eye to more recent trends in literary criticism, but do read.

This second volume of the NAEL covers the expanse of the Romantic Period, the Victorian Age and the 20th Century (or Modern Period). While I did have to get this book for a survey course, I was pleasantly suprised at the vast range of work represented in the text.

Not only does the book include "Cannonical" writers but also more obscure writers that may not be as well known now but were popular during their timeframe. The text has an equal amount of work represented from both women and men and explains the viewpoint of each in relation to what was going on at the time. An example are the women Romantic writers; they viewed things differently than their male counterparts and therefore wrote about different things, had different styles of writing, etc.

Of course, as with all Norton books, there are bios of each author before their selections, introductions to each period, apendicies, bibliographies, essays and a section of goegraphic nomenclature. The book is well formated, foot-noted (not end-noted =)), and the selections are marvelous. Anyone well versed in English literature should have this book on their shelves.

I bought the Norton Anthology of English Literature, seventh edition, volume 1, for one of my core classes in my English lit major, and I've found it to be a very worthy addition to my literature collection. Heaney's verse translation of Beowulf(as compared to the prose translation of the 6th edition) is engaging and fun to read(not to mention wonderful poetry). Chaucer's Canterbury Tales appear in their original Middle English, while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is translated into modern English. This edition contains samples of numerous authors up until the 18th century, and it's an excellent buy for a survey of English literature.

I am writing this not neccesarily as a review, but as a reply to some of the other reviews on the Norton Anthology of English Literature. The NAEL consists of mainly poetry is because for the most part that IS English Literature (Literature does not mean just BOOKS you know). In fact, the novel didn't exist until the 18th century. As for why it's assigned in classes (even if you don't read the entire thing)? Well, maybe your professor figured that it would be a valuable referrence book, as well as a life-long companion-- which it is.