The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1740-1830

Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1740-1830 written by Thomas Keymer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-06-17 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume offers an introduction to British literature that challenges the traditional divide between eighteenth-century and Romantic studies. Contributors explore the development of literary genres and modes through a period of rapid change. They show how literature was shaped by historical factors including the development of the book trade, the rise of literary criticism and the expansion of commercial society and empire. The wide scope of the collection, juxtaposing canonical authors with those now gaining new attention from scholars, makes it essential reading for students of eighteenth-century literature and Romanticism.