The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Beginnings to 1650

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: Classics, Reference, Literature, Textbooks, Fiction, Drama, Short Stories

3 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

[River Guru · Rating 2 out of 5]

Granted-this was an assigned textbook. I think norton does a good job of covering the historical aspects that set the pretext for the stories, and talk a little bit about each era. What I feel the book is missing is a how-to interpretation of these works. Things that were written hundreds of years ago are not the most easy to understand. While most stories here were decent for others I had no idea why they were ever considered great works of literature. Best of luck to you if you end up using this as a textbook!

[SecretNinjaGRL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and educational. Some sections were like nails on a chalkboard for me but others were good.

[Nostalgia Reader]

(Also posted to volume A)

A good compilation of works. I like how this highlights the Asian and Mid-Eastern literature, rather than white-washing and focusing only on European works. Historical introductions to the sections were also informative.

A VERY demeaning introduction, though. Here's some highlights.

“A world literature course is a semester-long encounter with the unknown—a challenging and rewarding journey, not a stroll down familiar, well-known paths." Because all people taking world lit classes are American and have absolutely no idea that there are other countries of the world, right? *eye roll*

After stating that “by following a consistent pattern of presentation” (shouldn’t all textbooks do that?), they say “The mere presentation of an anthology—page after page of unbroken text—can feel overwhelming to anyone.” ........ WHAT ARE BOOKS THEN???? If books are not page after page of (mostly) unbroken text, WHAT ARE THEY?????

They also discuss how “Literature... also presents us with whole imagined worlds to which we as readers can travel.” YOU MEAN THERE’S SUCH A THING AS FICTION?!??!? *mind blown*