1000 Years of English Literature

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The British Library is home to an unparalleled collection of original manuscripts of great English literature, from the tenth-century manuscript of Beowulf to the work of such twentieth-century authors as T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, and Angela Carter. With 1000 Years of English Literature , Chris Fletcher shares some of the gems from the collection. Originally published in 2003, this updated and expanded paperback edition chronicles the life and work of more than one hundred of the best-loved British writers, with greater attention paid to the writers of the twentieth century. Each spread begins with an engaging sketch of the life and significance of the author, then offers a reproduced portion of manuscript on the facing page. Among the writers included are Shakespeare, Dickens, Wordsworth, and Larkin, and the volume also presents such masterpieces as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales , Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre , and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway . Whether written on parchment, vellum, or paper, and whether poems, short stories, novels, or diaries, these documents offer fascinating insights into the world of the writer at work and at times reveal major amendments and corrections carried out during the course of writing. An inspiring vision of literary achievement, 1000 Years of English Literature will not only teach and delight but also enrich the pleasure of reading and rereading the best literature Britain has to offer.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• Early and Medieval
• 'Beowulf'
• Wulfstan
• The 'Harley Lyrics'
• 'Sir Orfeo'
• William Langland
• The 'Gawain Poet'
• The 'Sloane Lyrics'
• Renaissance and Restoration
• The Eighteenth Century
• The Nineteenth Century
• The Twentieth Century
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Picture credits

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Fletcher (Bodleian Library) was a curator at the British Library at the time of its 2000 exhibition Chapter and Verse: 1000 Years of English Literature. Although narrower in scope than the exhibit, this like-titled volume serves the same purpose: highlighting the long literary heritage of Great Britain. The manuscripts for each of the authors featured in this revised and expanded edition of a 2003 coffee-table book are all held at the British Library. This edition features 96 British authors. Each entry includes one or two manuscript images and a biographical sketch. Although readers may want to make use of a magnifying glass, images are clear in this beautifully designed book. Taken in its entirety, this volume by Fletcher and associates provides an overview of England's literary heritage, a history of its language and script, and a look at its practice and industry of replication and publication from Beowulf to Wendy Cope. Fletcher notes in his introduction that many British writers have arranged for their papers to go to North American libraries. This perhaps accounts for the absence in this volume of writers such as V. S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott. This book will appeal to readers of British literature and bibliophiles. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. R. Stuhr University of Pennsylvania