English literature is the mother lode to English-language speakers and deservedly so. The English have a rich history of writing with lights so bright they bedazzle the student: Shakespeare, Byron, Keats, Bronte, Shelly, Dickens, Chaucer and on and on. Yet English literature also competed with French, Russian, Chinese and many other literatures on the world stage. How has the language effected the literature? Does the English speaker feel drawn to Shakespeare the same as a Russian does to Pushkin? Did England fully share in the literary movements of the day? Can a small country possess the literary firepower to keep up with the giants? Does it matter? This new book presents an overview of the entire field of English literature as well as a selective bibliography indexed by subject, author and title for easy access.

This is a guide to the main developments in the history of British and Irish literature, charting some of the main features of literary language development and highlighting key language topics.

One of the earliest great stories of English literature after ?Beowulf?, ?Sir Gawain? is the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse, who rudely interrupts King Arthur's Round Table festivities one Yuletide, challenging the knights to a wager. Simon Armitrage, one of Britain's leading poets, has produced an inventive and groundbreaking translation that " helps] liberate ?Gawain ?from academia" (?Sunday Telegraph?).

Includes Part 1A: Books and Part 1B: Pamphlets, Serials and Contributions to Periodicals