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, SUNY Buffalo
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
Editors
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
Key Features
In all six of its volumes, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature presents British literature in a truly distinctive light.
An anthology that fully reflects the diversity and breadth of British literature. The Broadview takes a fresh approach to many canonical authors as well as featuring a well-curated array of unjustly neglected writers. The anthology also provides considered coverage of the worldwide connections of British literature and of Irish, Scottish, and Welsh literature from the medieval period to the present day. Each volume offers a balanced representation of genres, from drama and longer narrative works to lyric poetry, nonfiction prose, short fiction, and more.
Historical and cultural context. The Broadview offers thematic omnibus sections that range from “The Crises of the Fourteenth Century” and “The Abolition of Slavery” to “Britain, Empire, and a Wider World” and “Modernism and Modernity.” Individual texts and authors are frequently accompanied by contextual materials, and period and author introductions situate the literature in relation to the politics, socioeconomics, and print culture of the time. A compelling selection of color images is included in each volume, and additional illustrations are incorporated throughout, with audio and video selections offered on the anthology’s companion website.
Helpful, reliable apparatus. The introductions to authors and to periods are comprehensive and engaging, and annotations to the texts provide the information students need without interfering with their interpretation of the text. Each volume offers useful maps and a glossary of both literary and historical terms, while the companion website features a guide to money, review questions, chronological charts, and more.
Dynamic and flexible format. A two-column format allows for the inclusion of a wide range of material within a reasonable page count. The anthology’s website is a key component of the anthology itself and features a broad selection of additional texts that have been prepared according to the same editorial principles as those in the bound book. Broadview also offers more than 400 editions of stand-alone texts, any one of which can be packaged with an anthology volume at no additional cost to the student. Almost all volumes of the anthology are available as eBooks as well as in print form.
A socially responsible anthology. The Broadview pays close attention to matters such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation in all editorial decisions—from the selection of authors and texts to the provision of annotations addressing issues within the texts such as racist and antisemitic language.
Concise and Compact Editions. In addition to the full six-volume anthology, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature is available in two condensed forms: a two-volume Concise Edition (about 2000 pages per volume) and a single-volume Compact Edition (1825 pages).
Multi-Volume packages. Multiple volumes of the anthology may be packaged together at a reduced price.
Custom texts. Custom texts may be assembled from any materials drawn from the anthology or other Broadview texts (excepting those for which Broadview does not hold copyright) to create an attractively printed and cost-effective alternative to the traditional bound anthology. Check out our easy and intuitive Custom Text Builder at this link, or you may build your text in collaboration with our Custom Text Coordinator at custom@broadviewpress.com.
Packages and Custom Texts
Multi-Volume packages. Multiple volumes of the anthology may be packaged together at a reduced price.
Custom texts. Custom texts may be assembled from any materials drawn from the anthology or other Broadview texts (excepting those for which Broadview does not hold copyright) to create an attractively printed and cost-effective alternative to the traditional bound anthology. Check out our easy and intuitive Custom Text Builder at this link, or you may build your text in collaboration with our Custom Text Coordinator at custom@broadviewpress.com.
What People Are Saying
“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
“Norton’s intros are good; Broadview’s are better, with greater clarity and comprehension, as well as emphasis upon how the language and literature develop, both reacting or responding to and influencing or modifying the cultural, religious/philosophical, political, and socio-economic developments of Britain. The historian and the linguist in me thoroughly enjoyed the flow and word-craftsmanship. If you have not considered the anthology for your courses, I recommend that you do so.”
— Robert J. Schmidt, Tarrant County College
“… 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
“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..”
— Richard Branyon, Eastern Connecticut University
Volumes
Compact and Concise Volumes:
One-Volume Compact – Second Edition
Concise Edition, Volume A – Fourth Edition
Concise Volume B – Third Edition
Period Volumes:
Volume 1: The Medieval Period – Revised Third Edition
Volume 2: The Renaissance and the Early Seventeenth Century – Third Edition
Volume 3: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century – Second Edition
Volume 4: The Age of Romanticism – Third Edition
Volume 5: The Victorian Era – Third Edition
Volume 6: The Twentieth Century and Beyond
Related Volumes:
British Literature: A Historical Overview, Volume A
British Literature: A Historical Overview, Volume B
The Broadview Anthology of Romantic Poetry
Online Resources
The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Online Resources
The anthology’s online component includes hundreds of additional readings and contextual materials. These are not “add-ons” meant to be accorded a subsidiary status, but an integral part of the anthology itself, edited and annotated according to the same principles as the material included in the bound book and ebook volumes.
The anthology’s website also offers a range of companion materials, including close to 200 interactive review questions; details on British currency; chronological charts; bibliographies; an audio library with dozens of samples ranging from Old English to the early 20th Century; and more.
A website access code is included with all new copies of the anthology. It is also possible to purchase a code online.
Instructor’s Guide
Located on a separate site, the Broadview Anthology of British Literature Instructor’s Guide is intended to provide support and inspiration for all instructors—from those teaching British literature for the first time to very experienced instructors looking to reinvigorate their courses. Site contents include the following:
- Approaches to Teaching specific authors and omnibus sections, with an emphasis on the most commonly taught authors as well as a selection of less-canonical authors
- More than 200 Quiz Questions
- Lists of the Contents by Theme and Region to aid in course planning
For an Instructor’s Guide access code, please contact your Broadview Representative or write to reps@broadviewpress.com.