"This text has now been revised again to incorporate the latest developments, for instance the current success of children's and crossover literature, such as that of J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. However, the Companion also remains faithful to Sir Paul Harvey's original vision of an authoritative work placing English literature in its widest context. No other volume offers such extensive exploration of the classical roots of English literature and the European authors and works that influenced its development." "The appendices have also been updated: the winners of the major literary awards, and the chronology - spanning a thousand years of English literature from Beowulf to Small Island. Informed by the latest scholarly thinking, and comprehensively cross-referenced to guide the reader to topics of related interest, the revised 6th edition reaffirms the pre-eminence of the Companion as the best available single-volume guide to English literature."--BOOK JACKET.