norton english literature

norton english literature

Exploring the Evolution of English Literature through the Lens of Norton Anthology

1. Introduction to the Norton Anthology of English Literature

The word “tradition” is of considerable importance to the producers of this anthology, and not merely to its editors. The very word “literature” comes from the Latin word litterae, meaning letters of the alphabet, while “letter” itself comes from littera, meaning the singular ‘letter’ of the alphabet. Both “literature” and “letter” suggest writing, and that should indicate the original meaning of “literature” as well as explaining the contents of a literary anthology. While neither the meaning nor the contents of literature have – or should have – changed, the social values placed on certain kinds of writing have undergone significant changes, so we come to expect an anthology of literature (whether it be of English, French of German, or any other anthologies of literature collection of African or Oriental literature) be “literature” as it shapes and is shaped form a specific society, so also should “literature” reflect a society that is influenced – which is to say imperfectly reflected – by “literature”.

Every anthology of English literature comes with an introduction. However, a volume of “The Norton Anthology of English Literature” would seem incomplete without such an introductory article to explain some of the many issues covered by the history of literature. That is particularly true of this “eighth & ninth editions”, not merely because the literary periods with which they deal necessarily bring the history only up-to-date as the most recent decades, but also because they deal with such a wealth of literary traditions (not to mention each of the nine volumes in each of the two editions) that it becomes necessary to set limits to what I can describe in the sections while attempting to deal with them critically and fairly.

2. Key Periods and Movements in English Literature Covered in the Norton Anthology

Looking through the anthology, it is possible to construct a general outline that can serve as a starting point for the historian. Here is a brief summary of that outline, breaking a few thousand years of literature into seven key periods, based on the evolution, conflicts, and important changes that have left their mark on the narrative. The first period of the Norton Anthology, “The Middle Ages,” covers the oldest literary texts – literally, in the case of the Bible, and in terms of origins, in the case of the greatest part of the texts included. From the 8th century to the end of the 14th, with important revolutions like the Norman Conquest in 1066, English literature comes from the Anglo-Saxons, with their strong oral tradition, beginning to register its poetic talent, primarily through the Beowulf poem, the oldest literary document we have in Old English, the angle of Germanic tongue, and departing from the Christian Middle English with texts like the Exeter Book, which contains poetry in the Christian Germanic strain.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature is a comprehensive history of English literature that provides an incredibly generous amount of context for the whole body of English literature. In two volumes (texts and contexts), the anthology offers 400 years of English literature, from the 5th century to the end of the 20th. It provides poetry, drama, and prose, and also creates a complex historical, social, and cultural spectrum in which it positions all of these contents through its context sections, specially designed to introduce readers to the political, social, and cultural environment of literary production and reception. The anthology manages to register the evolution of English literature in a way that makes it a truly interdisciplinary work.

3. Notable Authors and Works Included in the Norton Anthology

The following list of table poets and writers in the anthology includes some general descriptions of their works. Authors who are represented only by exceptional works have been included, provided that the work on its own is likely to evoke a strong and substantial response. What can be learned from anthologies such as the Norton is not the work of the individual author in isolation but the work of the author in a broader literary, historical, philosophical, religious, or cultural context. With these purposes in mind, then, the selection included authors of near universal recognition, such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne, and Milton. Since women have traditionally been excluded from literary anthologies, many female authors are represented in the Norton Anthology of Women’s Literature. Such useful predecessors as Mary Beard and Carolyn Heilbrun have provided a guiding hand for the even more ambitious undertaking of the Norton Anthology of English Literature in our time.

Major authors, as well as other writers who are representative of their periods, are a focus of the Norton Anthology. Works of known excellence are chosen because they are enjoyable to read, and they are put in superior editions. But in anthologies such as this, excellence is not the only criterion for selection; the editors also consider the materials in relation to each other and to the ideas, customs, and institutions of the age that produced them. The result is a collection of materials that gives the reader a sense not just of the great works but of the context that makes them great.

4. Themes and Trends Across Different Periods in English Literature

Old and Middle English literature were mostly writings in the forms of religious writings, tales, fables, and chivalric romances. Aside from religious texts that related the narrative of Christ’s Passion and/or meditations, some concepts such as the soul’s progress after death, life as a pilgrimage, fortune, and afterlife were also explored through dream visions, allegory, and moralities. Poetry, for the most part, was devoutly religious in content. While secular poetry existed, the Old English chapters, despite the form that was referred to as verse, focused on religious themes. Middle English brought into English literature a flowering of romantic and devotional poems. An overwhelming concern in the medieval period revolved around the need to make peace between the current and the challenging values. With all the paradoxes such as the desires for isolation and the needs for social cohesion and for wealth acquired and wealth shared simultaneously, English was in its confronting, combining, and transforming other existing literary traditions, as previously described. At the same time, moral and spiritual quests in English literature tended to invoke language, imagery, philosophy, and/or structure that engaged with a Christian or spiritual persuasion. Early English drama, on the other hand, was often used as a form for religious practice and instruction. Religious figures such as covenanter, hermit, nun, nun-parsons, parish priest were either the subject or objects in these scripts. During these times, the church was both a cultural force and a source of employment as a patron of the arts or authorities on legal matters. Religious ideas and implications were thus prevalent in medieval literary works. Any analysis of the works could reflect these prevalent themes.

As a companion in developing students’ literary thinking and writing skills, the Norton Anthology is replete with ideas that could be used as bases for discussions, expositions, and essays. This said, it could be worthwhile to summarize its location of ideas in a brief. For this task, one need not delve into the introductions to the anthology or examine the selection of its contents as the usual section headers could do instead. That said, this article identifies the specific topics found in every era in English literary history taken from the survey Introduction to Literature. The ideas detailed, unless they are titled for single discussion or essay purpose, are general in nature and thus multivalent. Students could be invited to go beyond their initial responses to make productive use of each of these topics and lens these up with the introduction; likewise, instructors would be able to use more than one of these ideas for purposeful incorporation in various discussions, expositions, and essays.

5. Impact and Significance of the Norton Anthology in the Study of English Literature

The benefits derived from this anthology are innumerable. The benefits are not one-sided. The anthology serves the requirements of the professors and students. The study of the anthology also indicates its credibility and usefulness. The individualistic approach of the anthology requires students to familiarize themselves with its ideals, appeals, and requirements. In a typical English major class, the instructor and the students come together with molecules of ideas; the result is electrifying and inspiring. The act of teaching remains one of the most fascinating and enriching acts of learning. Every day is a new day with a new homeland. The student body comprises different needs and ideals; the inadequacy is overleapt readily by the universal leitmotif of love – indeed love of English literature. One of the prerequisites of studying the anthology and for excellence in the field is sheer love of learning at the university level. Unlike in a school setting, diversity is at the very heart of an English major class; the diversity commands attention and respect in an English class and aids understanding. The hypothesis sets the foundation for a discussion of the anthology from a perspective of its positive impacts.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, which is often associated with the topic of evolution, provides a unique, exciting, and innovative approach in the teaching and learning of English literature, particularly in the American large core universities. The Norton Anthology of English Literature is a text that is taken as the ultimate guide to the land of English literature and has served as a survival kit for innumerable students, professors, and researchers in the vast ever-expanding realm of English literature. Perhaps, the significance of Norton Anthology of English Literature can be best illustrated with reference to Joseph Conrad’s well-known introductory phrase, ‘to that disastrous region’. Teaching English literature without the aid of Norton Anthology of English Literature is akin to making the audience deaf, dumb, and blind. It is not only a state sanctuary for scholars and students residing in English literature, but it is the savior and solace for newcomers in the stream.