'''The Norton Anthology of English Literature''' is a well-known
English literary studies supplement for many
undergraduate and some graduate-level students. Works included in the anthology (or other Norton Anthologies) are seen as having reached
canonicity. Published by the W. W. Norton and Company since 1962, the ''NAEL'' is divided into two volumes, separating the
late Mediaeval era and the
Renaissance (
Chaucer,
Shakespeare, etc.) from the
Romantic,
Victorian, and
Modern eras of
English literature.
The majority of tertiary institutions use these books as set pieces for introductions to
Shakespeare,
Blake,
Tennyson, or
Geoffrey Chaucer's ''
The Canterbury Tales'', among many others.
In Volume 1, it explores extensively the very core of English literature from the
Middle Ages, including ''
Cædmon's Hymn'' to ''
Beowulf'', moving on to
Milton's ''
Paradise Lost''.
The Middle Ages, the
16th century, the early
17th century, the
18th century, the
Romantic Era, the
Victorian Age, and
20th Century English literature are all well represented.
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Publisher description