English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (Oxford History of English Literature Series)

Rating:
Summary: Ian Myles Slater on A Note on a Change of Title
Review: For reasons not readily apparent, Oxford University Press has reissued this book for about ten years as "Poetry and Prose in the Sixteenth Century," which is accurate enough, but causes confusion for anyone not aware of the change. (Due to the facts of human biology, the book actually covers a slightly longer period than either title indicates.) ...

The book was the product of enormous labor, including actually reading a huge body of writing generally ignored in literary histories, or treated without firsthand knowledge. Acquaintances -- not all of them friends, or even especially sympathetic -- described Lewis spending his days doggedly reading sermons and polemics, minor poets and bad poets, over the course of years.

The book also appeared in paperback under the original title, unfortunately without the bibliographic supplement in which Lewis discussed modern editions, if any, of the more obscure (and sometimes not so obscure) English and Scots literature of the late fifteenth through early seventeenth centuries. The paperback is worthwhile, but anyone familiar with the original form may be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Ian Myles Slater on A Note on a Change of Title
Review: Whether you rate this a 10 or a 2 depends on your reading tastes. No doubt many people would find the topic uninteresting, and if the topic or the author are not subjects you enjoy, then don't bother to buy it. Not being a lit. buff myself, my attraction for the book was the author's commentary, with the goldmine of quotable material found therein. This is an impressive volume of literary history, and I doubt that anyone else could have done such a thorough job and still made the topic come to life with such vigorous exposition. Opinionated? You bet. That's part of what makes it enjoyable to read. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the book, you may want to contact Oxford University Press directly. As one of the twelve volumes constituting the "Oxford History of English Literature" series, they have continued to print it over the years.

Rating:
Summary: English Literature in the Sixteenth Century
Review: Whether you rate this a 10 or a 2 depends on your reading tastes. No doubt many people would find the topic uninteresting, and if the topic or the author are not subjects you enjoy, then don't bother to buy it. Not being a lit. buff myself, my attraction for the book was the author's commentary, with the goldmine of quotable material found therein. This is an impressive volume of literary history, and I doubt that anyone else could have done such a thorough job and still made the topic come to life with such vigorous exposition. Opinionated? You bet. That's part of what makes it enjoyable to read. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the book, you may want to contact Oxford University Press directly. As one of the twelve volumes constituting the "Oxford History of English Literature" series, they have continued to print it over the years.