The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Volume 5: The Victorian Era

by Joseph Laurence Black (Editor)

In all six of its volumes The Broadview Anthology of British Literature presents British literature in a truly distinctive light. Fully grounded in sound literary and historical scholarship, the anthology takes a fresh approach to many canonical authors, and includes a wide selection of work by lesser-known writers. The anthology also provides wide-ranging coverage of the worldwide connections of British literature, and it pays attention throughout to issues of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. It includes comprehensive introductions to each period, providing in each case an overview of the historical and cultural as well as the literary background. It features accessible and engaging headnotes for all authors, extensive explanatory annotations throughout, and an unparalleled number of illustrations and contextual materials, offering additional perspectives both on individual texts and on larger social and cultural developments. Innovative, authoritative, and comprehensive, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature embodies a consistently fresh approach to the study of literature and literary history. The full Broadview Anthology of British Literature comprises six bound volumes, together with an extensive website component; the latter has been edited, annotated, and designed according to the same high standards as the bound book component of the anthology, and is accessible at www.broadviewpress.com/BABL by using the passcode obtained with the purchase of one or more of the bound volumes. The six individual bound volumes are also available in any combination at special package prices. Highlights of Volume 5: The Victorian Era the entire text of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, with all of the original illustrations; Alfred Lord Tennyson's In Memoriam A.H.H. in its entirety; and Augusta Webster's "A Castaway."

Genres: Anthologies, Classics, Reference

950 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2006

Reviews

[Momo · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read the third edition, which is much longer, so apologies if the version's original content or formatting differs greatly)

This was a textbook for a Victorian literature class I took, and while it was useful for that, there is just way too much content of little substance. There are quite large discussion sections that I find pretty useless, since they could be summarized much more. The way the contents in laid out is also a bit odd; some authors had their works split up, but others had whole sections. I believe this could easily have a few hundred pages knocked off of it, especially since most courses don't require you to actually read the textbooks front to back. I did enjoy the collection of works in this book; there was diverse literary content and authors, not just the most popular white male poets of the time, and the same pieces everyone has probably heard of a million times.

I did find a free PDF version though, so that was amazing and saved me money, but even if you need this for a course and don't have the money, it is pretty easy to look up the assigned readings and find them posted elsewhere (it just won't be in one condensed book). Because of the way that this textbook is laid out, other than the first bit and discussions, which were original content, the rest is public domain and not in chapters, so your professor should be telling you what needs to be read, and you can search the title and find it online (probably with discussion/ literary critique as well).

[Emilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology needs a good editor and better selections.

There are tiny snippets of the most influential writers of the era and too many from other authors that aren't as famous FOR A DAMN REASON.

[Ciara (Lost at Midnight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read all of it (obviously it's like 900 pages) but the poems and short stories I did were generally great. Good introductions as well. I might go back to this one in the future!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

great for an intro to victorian lit, but should be accompanied by a class or the instructions/advice of a knowledgeable teacher. otherwise it can feel dense and confusing.