The two-volume Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Concise Edition provides an attractive alternative to the full six-volume anthology. Though much more compact, the concise edition nevertheless provides a thoughtful balance between well-established canonical authors and a diverse array of lesser-known works. Guided by the latest scholarship in British literary studies, the anthology is committed to inclusiveness, social responsibility, and contextualization. The anthology skillfully balances the representation of widely-agreed upon major works with a thoroughgoing reassessment of the canon that emphasizes diversity, variety, and breadth. With an unparalleled number of illustrations and contextual materials, accessible and engaging introductions, and full explanatory annotations, the concise edition of this acclaimed Broadview anthology provides focused yet wide-ranging coverage for British literature survey courses.

Among the works now included for the first time in the bound book of the concise edition are poems by Gwerful Mechain, selections from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, Samson Occom’s autobiography, and selections from Samuel Richardson’s Pamela and Frances Burney’s Evelina. There are also new omnibus sections—including an expanded “Culture: A Portfolio” section with material on theater and crossdressing, a revised section on “Other Lands, Other Cultures” in the early modern period, and new omnibus sections addressing “The Enlightenment,” “Slavery and Resistance,” and “Empire and Enterprise.”

As before, the Concise edition includes a substantial website component, providing instructors with a great degree of flexibility. New to the Concise Edition are a selection from The Táin, Mary Rowlandson’s complete narrative, Aphra Behn’s The Rover, selections from Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews, substantial selections from Ottobah Cugoano’s Thoughts and Sentiments, and an omnibus section on the environment in the early modern period. Also new to the website are additional tales from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in facing-column format, with versions in modern English included opposite the original text.

Joseph L. Black is professor and director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Don LePan, founder and CEO of academic publishing house Broadview Press, is the author of several non-fiction books and of two other works of fiction; his novel Animals (2010) has been described by Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee as “a powerful piece of writing and a disturbing call to conscience.”

 

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Comments on The Broadview Anthology of British Literature

“… an exciting achievement … it sets a new standard by which all other anthologies of British literature will now have to be measured.” — Graham Hammill, SUNY Buffalo

“After twenty years of teaching British literature from the Norton anthologies, I’m ready to switch to the Broadview. The introductions to each period are key to teaching a survey course, and those in the Broadview seem to me to be both more accessible to students and more detailed in their portraits of each era than are those of the Norton. And Broadview’s selection of authors and texts includes everything I like to teach from the Norton, plus a good deal else that’s of real interest.” — Neil R. Davison, Oregon State University

“I am pleased to say that my students and I really enjoyed using The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Concise Edition this past fall and spring semesters in my survey of British literature. … The final average of my spring survey class was one of the highest in my teaching career, and I am sure that the Broadview anthology was one of the many reasons for this excellent performance. My students were also excited about the Broadview editions of Frankenstein and Tess of the D’Urbervilles that we used.” — Richard Branyon, Eastern Connecticut University

“… I have been using The Broadview Anthology of British Literature for three years now. I love it—and so do my students! I’ll say too that the support for instructors is excellent.” — Martha Stoddard-Holmes, University of California, San Marcos

“… an excellent anthology. Good selections (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