The Norton Anthology of World Literature

by Martin Puchner (Editor), Suzanne Conklin Akbari (Editor), Wiebke Denecke (Editor)

Read by millions of students since its first publication, The Norton Anthology of World Literature remains the most-trusted anthology of world literature available. Guided by the advice of more than 500 teachers of world literature and a panel of regional specialists, the editors of the Third Edition a completely new team of scholar-teachers have made this respected text brand-new in all the best ways. Dozens of new selections and translations, all-new introductions and headnotes, hundreds of new illustrations, redesigned maps and timelines, and a wealth of media resources all add up to the most exciting, accessible, and teachable version of the Norton ever published.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature is now available as an interactive ebook, at just a fraction of the print price."

Genres: Reference

853 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2012

About the author

Martin Puchner is a literary critic and philosopher. He studied at Konstanz University, the University of Bologna, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, before receiving his Ph.D. at Harvard University. Until 2009 he held the H. Gordon Garbedian Chair at Columbia University, where he also served as co-chair of the Theater Ph.D. program. He now holds the Byron and Anita Wien Chair of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University. He is the founding director of the Mellon School of Theater and Performance Research at Harvard University.

Reviews

[Isiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit denser than the last two volumes- which was a bit surprising considering the renaissance has a lot of interesting works. That being said, there are still plenty of interesting stories to found here.

For the larger pieces, I had already read Utopia and Hamlet, both incredible pieces, but The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and Fuenteovejuna were new for me. Lazarillo was hilarious, memorable, and really deserves more attention. The physical comedy and what are now typically seen as cliche gags were really refreshing. Fuenteovejuna was a really entertaining read as well in the sense that I couldn't put it down because I hated the villain so much I needed to see him suffer. The ending feels very "wish fulfillment," and a bit over the top, but it was well earned. Out of the two I would say Lazarillo was more enjoyable simply because of the content. Fuenteovejuna, despite the occasional humor, is exceptionally gritty, dark, and real.

My other favorites:
Sunjata- It was really interesting to read a West African epic and to see the format they typically used when performing epics.

Kabir's poetry had great imagery combined with clear and insightful messages. Some of my favorite lines from him come from Aphorisms, in particular: "The knowledge that knows what knowledge is: that's the knowledge that's mine."

Rabelais has his own great Utopian work- that has some great inclusion of gender equality.

As a lover of Antiquity, I also enjoyed Joachim du Bellay's poetry on Rome. "Rome conquered Rome...but her writings keep her specter wandering throughout the world."

Marguerite de Navarre's Heptameron (based on the Decameron) absolutely outshines the original text. The story is entertaining and gives a fascinating and highly relevant look at how courtly love can be abused or misunderstood. Where so many stories have the male perspective focused on the shining hero and knight and his loving, pure maiden, this story shows a very familiar pattern of a man thinking his kindness (which is much more like stalking than anything else) has earned him rights to her- an attitude that still shows up in modern times all too frequently.

Overall, there was a lot less to love here than the previous volumes, but some important historical lessons and some exciting new finds. On to the next one~

[Saadullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

particularly enjoyed "The Abencerraje" and the excerpts from Evliya Çelebi's travels.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading Hamlet was a pleasure! My favorite quote is now: "Not a whit, we defy augury. There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all. Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows what is't to leave betimes, let be." Act 5, scene 2

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potential textbook.

Finished initial overview, though I skipped most of the content. This volume is heavier than I'd like on Western lit. Looking forward to Volume D.

[Nostalgia Reader]

*Renaissance and Shakespeare*