The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Volume 1: The Medieval Period – Revised Third Edition

Volume 1 of the acclaimed Broadview Anthology of British Literature, now revised to eliminate the term “Anglo-Saxon” from the anthology apparatus.

In all six of its volumes The Broadview Anthology of British Literature presents British literature in a truly distinctive light. Fully grounded in sound literary and historical scholarship, the anthology takes a fresh approach to many canonical authors, and includes a wide selection of work by lesser-known writers. The anthology also provides wide-ranging coverage of the worldwide connections of British literature, and it pays attention throughout to issues of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. It includes comprehensive introductions to each period, providing in each case an overview of the historical and cultural as well as the literary background. It features accessible and engaging headnotes for all authors, extensive explanatory annotations, and an unparalleled number of illustrations and contextual materials. Innovative, authoritative and comprehensive, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature has established itself as a leader in the field.

The full anthology comprises six bound volumes, together with an extensive website component; the latter has been edited, annotated, and designed according to the same high standards as the bound book component of the anthology, and is accessible by using the passcode obtained with the purchase of one or more of the bound volumes.

In the revised third edition of this volume, the term “Anglo-Saxon” has been removed from our editorial apparatus—a change made in response to recent scholarly work that has drawn attention to the term's historical and current usage by white supremacists. We have also taken the opportunity to implement a small number of additional improvements; the pagination, however, remains the same.

Comments on The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Medieval Period:

“Broadview offers the best selection of Old English texts I’ve ever seen in an anthology of this nature … Well done!” — Robert W. Barrett, Jr., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

“With the publication of The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, teachers and students in survey and upper-level undergraduate courses have a compelling alternative to the established anthologies from Norton and Longman. Having adopted the first two volumes for an early period survey course last year, I had no hesitation in repeating the experience this year. The medieval volume, in particular, is superb, with its generous representation of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman literary culture, as well as its growing collection of texts from the too little-known fifteenth century. This is a very real intellectual, as well as pedagogical, achievement.” — Nicholas Watson, Harvard University

“The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Medieval Period offers remarkable features that make it an excellent choice for instructors. The anthology includes eight Canterbury Tales, compared to Longman’s six and Norton’s seven, enabling students to experience Chaucer’s generic and linguistic range much more fully. The footnotes to The Canterbury Tales are more comprehensive than those in either Longman or Norton, explaining clearly each pilgrim’s profession (not always included in other anthologies); pointing out ambiguous syntax and offering alternative readings. In addition, I was impressed that the editors indicate in the footnotes passages that are not included in Ellesmere, but are considered by some critics as late additions. This attention to scholarly detail models just the kind of accuracy we demand from ourselves and students while researching. The full manuscript page reproductions further enhance the students’ experience with medieval manuscript culture, opening the door to further discussion of this aspect of the written tradition. I especially appreciate the extensive and inclusive “Contexts” sections … [Overall,] The Broadview Anthology certainly contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive selections of medieval texts, with excellent introductory notes and reader-friendly organization.” — Eileen S. Jankowski, Chapman University

Comments on The Broadview Anthology of British Literature:

“ … sets a new standard by which all other anthologies of British Literature will now have to be measured.” — Graham Hammill, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

“With the publication of the Broadview Anthology of British Literature, teachers and students in survey and upper-level undergraduate courses have a compelling alternative to the established anthologies by Norton and Longman. … This is a very real intellectual, as well as pedagogical, achievement.” — Nicholas Watson, Harvard University

“ … an excellent anthology. Good selections for my purposes (including some nice surprises), just the right level of annotation, affordable—and a hit with my students. I will definitely use it again.” — Ira Nadel, University of British Columbia

General Editors:

Joseph Black, University of Massachusetts
Kate Flint, University of Southern California
Isobel Grundy, University of Alberta
Wendy Lee, New York University
Don LePan, Broadview Press
Roy Liuzza, University of Tennessee
Jerome J. McGann, University of Virginia
Anne Lake Prescott, Barnard College
Jason R. Rudy, University of Maryland, College Park
Claire Waters, University of California, Davis

Associate General Editors:

Leonard Conolly, Trent University
Barry V. Qualls, Rutgers University

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