Book Description
A legendary bestseller for more than forty years, this is the classic survey to the field from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century.
With 274 authors, the Eighth Edition deepens its representation of essential works in all genres, ranging from Seamas Heaney's award-winning translation of Beowulf, Milton's Paradise Lost, and More's Utopia to the great poets and prose writers of the nineteenth century—Blake and Austen, Wordsworth and Byron, Tennyson and Barrett Browning—to twentieth-century classics of a truly global English literature—Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Woolf's A Room of One's Own, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and Friel's Translations, to name but a few. Color plates—over 75 in all—and thematic clusters of brief and historically significant texts bring to life the cultural concerns of each period. Concise glosses and annotations, period introductions, biographical headnotes, timelines, and selected bibliographies help readers understand and enjoy the rich diversity of English literature.
Customer Reviews:
Incredibly but True.......2007-03-10
I bougth this book out of necessity, because is obligated for my English class this semester. It turn out to be pretty good. It is all poetry from the romantic period to our time. It has great writers, so as T. S. Eliot and more. I got to admmit it thought it will be dull but I was wrong. It is a great book. One thing is for sure, half the poems that I read so far are all related to death, for some reason.
It's Required.......2007-03-09
I needed this book for a college British Literature Class. There's a lot of poetry and great footnotes. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the romantic and victorian periods.
A very complete guide to English literature.......2006-12-07
This anthology provides lots of samples of the English literature from Romanticism to our days. In addition, it includes essays on some relevant literary topics, and an excelent appendix that contains information about rhetorical figures, poetic forms, etc.
Norton Anthology of English Literature.......2006-11-03
My professor was very concerned with background info of the time period and author and this text gives an introduction to each author with exactly that.
Better for Grads Than Under.......2006-11-01
This is a terrific volume, however, I would change some content to give a wider appeal. Right now, the volume is great for grad students, but limited for undergrads. Example: undergrads will like Waiting for Godot more than Endgame. I believe the choice was space-determined: Endgame is shorter. However, it would be better to do with a little less Wordsworth and a little more Beckett.
However, these are nitpicks. Good move including Mary Robinson, and the intros are terrific.
Book Description
Now available in a portable multi-volume format, The Norton Anthology of American Literature is the classic survey of American literature from its sixteenth-century origins to its flourishing present.
The Sixth Edition offers the work of 242 writers—30 newly included—representing the extraordinary wealth and diversity of American literature. Among the many major works included in their entirety are Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Thoreau's Walden, Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Clemens's Huckleberry Finn, Chopin's The Awakening, Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, Larsen's Quicksand, Ginsberg's "Howl," Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, and Parks's The America Play. Informative introductions, headnotes, footnotes, and bibliographies accompany the texts.
Package 1, "Literature to 1865," contains two slipcased volumes: "Literature to 1820" (Volume A) and "1820-1865" (Volume B).
Customer Reviews:
Wrong Product.......2007-02-08
Seller would not accept return or even respond when informed about it being the wrong product.
"Canon" balls.......2005-02-26
Except for the silliness of Avishai Mallinger, I can sympathize with the view points of all the reviews of the anthology. I am using the 1820-1865 vol in a class right now and must say, I find the selections over-all quite varied and enjoyable. I do fear that in our pluralistic society, the American Literary Canon is being distorted to fit material that is only included due to the minority status of it's author, or the political correctness of its subject matter. An example, I think, is the inclusion of the rather churlish William Apess.
I have always been dismayed by the American pedagogy's fetish for slavery, and that preoccupation is well exemplified here. I must ask if the inclusion of both Harriet Beecher Stowe AND Harriet Jacobs was strictly necessary, and I find it unnecessary to sound the beautiful deeps of Thoreau to bring up his opinion of the same institution. And not only his, but Longfellow's as well. And not only his, but Emerson's as well. In my own class, "Nature" was dismissed with a cursory glance, while "Last of the Anti-slavery Lectures" became a paper topic.
However, if the Canon were not revised, I might not have been treated to the wonderful Margaret Fuller or the fascinating Enlightenment piece of the first of the Cherokee Memorials. It is only by reading and testing such material that we can determine if it is truly worthy of being canonized. Anthology revision, in it's successes and failures is a part of that process.
Terrible...F-.......2004-09-13
As a student who is forced to read this book, I must say that it is one of the most dense and boring compilations of literature I have ever read. All of these writings are so dull and pointless that they just make me want to rip up this junk. But then again I want to re-sell this at the end of the semester to get some kind of money back. I can buy like 6 CDs or 3/4 DVDs for the amount of money i had to waste to support the Norton series. I now associate having to read any kind of Norton book with hell.
Not revisionism, breadth.......2003-10-24
The reviewer who complains about the great authors being excluded in favour of the mediocre is missing the point. For me, to study American literature is not just to study the great works. Instead, it's to study American literature. That includes slave songs, native American chants, and anything else that was produced with a commitment to art and expression rather than simple commerce. We can't, of course, read everything but have to limit ourselves to reading representitive samples. And those representitive samples will include the great works which should, rightly, dominate. But to exclude the rest of the American works that those great works grew out of is to give, I think, a perverse view of what "American literature" means. Do you read only the flowers or view the field as a whole and see the flowers as they fit into the ecology? Is it a study of American literature or a study of selected great works? Lately, the Norton anthologies have been moving towards the broader view. It may not be what you want to do but to disparage it as unworthy is wrong.
More Mathers Please.......2003-10-01
Is this all the Mathers you get? What about Jerry and Marshall. And we all know that early American lit is more boring than the late stuff. This anthology would really benefit from some Chuck Palaniak.
My favorite novel included is Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to go without church for all that time. She really had strength.
NOTE ON THE TEXT: If you really love American Lit, you'll find the puritan stuff much more engaging than the 19th Century. I keep a copy of Volume A by my bedside.
Book Description
A legendary bestseller for more than forty years, this is the classic survey to the field from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century.
With 274 authors, the Eighth Edition deepens its representation of essential works in all genres, ranging from Seamas Heaney's award-winning translation of Beowulf, Milton's Paradise Lost, and More's Utopia to the great poets and prose writers of the nineteenth century—Blake and Austen, Wordsworth and Byron, Tennyson and Barrett Browning—to twentieth-century classics of a truly global English literature—Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Woolf's A Room of One's Own, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and Friel's Translations, to name but a few. Color plates—over 75 in all—and thematic clusters of brief and historically significant texts bring to life the cultural concerns of each period. Concise glosses and annotations, period introductions, biographical headnotes, timelines, and selected bibliographies help readers understand and enjoy the rich diversity of English literature.
Customer Reviews:
One big book........2007-09-21
There seems to be nothing wrong or displeasing about this book aside from its overall dimensions. The stories are assembled well. There is even a nice history about the authors in some instances. Like I said previous, its one gigantic book. I think it would have been perfect to maybe cut it in half, labling them "volume 1a" and "volume 1b". Oh well, its still a pretty good book.
30% saved.......2007-09-18
I saved at least 30% on this book compaird to the schools' bookstore asking price.
What can I say..........2007-08-26
This is the definitive collection of what is widely regarded as the best early English literature. How can this not get a five? Beowulf to Milton.
A Steal ..........2007-07-03
No doubt, this is an excellent value ... although if you've studied Eng Lit at all, there will obviously be duplicates of your past experience. Personally, I've found Norton a much more reliable 'Name' than the more famous Oxford and Cambridge brands, that is if you're interested in actually 'thinking' v. tenure.
Norton Anthology 8th Ed........2007-02-12
The 8th Edition of the Norton Anthology was just what I expected and was the perfect addition to my educational library.
Book Description
"The most acute rendering of an era's sensibility is its poetry," wrote the editors in their preface to the first edition. Thirty years later, this innovative, cover-to-cover revision renders with fresh eyes and meticulous care the remarkable range of styles, subjects, and voices in English-language poetry. The newly titled Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry—now available in two paperback volumes—includes 1,596 poems by 195 poets (half of the poems are new), from Walt Whitman and Thomas Hardy in the late nineteenth century to Anne Carson and Sherman Alexie in the twenty-first.
The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry continues to be the most comprehensive collection of twentieth-century poetry in English. It richly represents the major figures, while also giving full voice to ethnic American poetries, experimental traditions, postcolonial poetry, and the long poem, eclipsing all other anthologies in scope, clarity, and balance.
Customer Reviews:
Great source for 20th century lit!.......2007-09-22
I picked up these two books for an english class i'm taking as a grad student. I only needed the first volume, but the price of one volume at the local bookstore was more expensive than what amazon was offering for BOTH. Naturally, I decided to get both volumes and they're both great. They cover a wide range of poetry over the 20th century with both modern and post modern. As a grad student, I'll gladly be holding on to these books. Great purchase!
There are no better anthologies.......2007-03-13
The title for this review says it all. The Norton Anthologies are the absolute quintessential books for any literature lover. They are worth every penny of the cost.
The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Third Edition.......2007-02-14
It was amazing .. The delivery was fast and the quality of the used product was excellent and the price much better than anyone. I definitely continue doing business with Amazon.
Carlos E. Rodriguez
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awesome!.......2007-02-11
This order was great-it arrived on time and was a MUCH lower price than buying them in my campus bookstore. This was my first time ordering through Amazon, and this experience has made me a regular customer.
Great!.......2006-03-23
The anthology is well put together and samples many influencial poets while providing indepth biographical resources and essays.
Average customer rating:
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The Norton Anthology of Poetry
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ASIN: 0393979210 |
Book Description
Long the classic anthology of poetry in English, The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Fifth Edition, adds to its wealth of known and loved poems a rich gathering of new poetry. Beginning with Beowulf, newly represented by selections from Seamus Heaney's dazzling translation, and continuing to the present day, The Norton Anthology of Poetry includes 1,100 poems by 250 poets in the Shorter Edition. Many major figures—from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Ashbery and Walcott—have expanded sections, and a range of outstanding younger voices have been newly added. Concise annotations, biographical sketches, an Essay on Versification by Jon Stallworthy, and, new to this edition, an Essay on Poetic Syntax by Margaret Ferguson help readers understand and enjoy the poems.
Customer Reviews:
A Decent Reference Work.......2007-06-21
I bought this because it was the required text book for one of my college classes, and I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. That being said, this has excerpts from many famous works from around the world and I liked it enough to keep it instead of selling back at the end of the semester. I wish that some of the works were more complete, some of them are so common that they didn't need to be included at all, and some of the translations of foreign works are questionable, in my opinion. Nitpicking aside, this is a pretty decent reference work for world literature.
Wrong Book.......2005-09-24
I wanted the volume 1 of the Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. I ended up getting the book that put volume one and two together. I got this book because I needed it for English, well it took out about half the stories I need to read for this particular class. It makes it a lot harder to get the stories from other places, when I payed 60 dollars and got a different book then I was expecting. It was a faulty listing
A Real Masterpiece.......2002-05-13
Great reading on those quiet Sunday evenings. The historical perspectives and timelines are the best part; really helps you understand the progression of lieterature as we know it. The Norton series was used often in highschool for me, but I had quite narrow historical perspectives back then; this book has helped change that. The book is quite heavy, hard to lug around and seems to get damaged easily (paperback), but the content is well worth it. I think they should have removed the Odyssey and included the Illiad. I would also recommend Glimpes of World History by J. Nehru. Though it can be at times tedious, it is good accompaniment to this Norton anthology.
A Real Masterpiece.......2002-05-13
Great reading on those quiet Sunday evenings. The historical perspectives and timelines are the best part; really helps you understand the progression of literature as we know it. The Norton series (western literature) was used often in highschool for me, but I had quite narrow historical perspectives back then; this book has helped change that. I would also recommend Glimpes of World History by J. Nehru. Though it can be at times tedious, it is good accompaniment to this Norton anthology.
World Literarture!.......2000-06-06
This book is very fascinating to read if you're insterested in early Greek and Roman culture. The many stories and translations make the reading easy and fun. I would recommend this book to anyone!
Book Description
With adoptions at over 1,300 colleges and universities in its first semester; the Seventh Edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature continues to be the indispensable anthology. Like its predecessors, the Seventh Edition offers the best in English literature from the classic to the contemporary in a readable, teachable format. More selections by women and twentieth-century writers, a richer offering of contextual writings and apparatus fully revised to reflect today's scholarship make the Seventh Edition the choice for breadth, depth, and quality.
For the first time ever, the acclaimed Norton Anthology of English Literature is available in six separate volumes, each of which cover a specific period of English lit and focus on the wide range of writers and literature, with full annotation and commentary. Adapted unabridged from the full Norton Anthology, this volume is ideal for focused study or specific coursework in the period.
Customer Reviews:
The heart of English Literature .......2005-10-17
In graduate school I read and reread this work, studied and re- studied it.
As it contains many the major masterpieces ( or excerpts of them) of English Literature it is a work which lends itself to this kind of reading and rereading. The introductions to each individual writer are also informative and in many cases a help in reading the work.
It is probably still the best one- volume introduction to English Literature that there is.
WARNING! poetry only........2005-10-16
These authors deserve far more than two stars, but the misleading title doesn't. Buy this book only if you're looking for collections of great poetry/essays; you'll find very few novels/novel segments in here.
Norton Anthology of English Literature by Abrams et al........2004-02-22
This is an excellent reference guide for the English Literature
of the 1600s and 1700s. There is an exhaustive coverage of
the following works:
o Caedmon's Hymn
o Beowulf
o Geoffrey Chaucer
o Middle Age Lyrics
o Sir Thomas Mallory
o Medieval Attitudes Toward Life on Earth
o Christopher Marlowe
o Sir Thomas Moore
o Shakespeare
o Sir Walter Ralegh
o John Donne
o Robert Herrick
o George Herbert
o John Milton
o Richard Lovelace
o Samuel Butler
o Jonathan Swift
o Alexander Pope
o Samuel Johnson
o James Boswell
o Restoration Literature of the 18th Century
Here is a paragraph from "The Wife of Bath's Tale":
"The wise astrologen daun Ptolomce,
That saith this proverbe in his Almageste:
' Of alle men his wisdom is the hyeste
That rekketh nat who hath the world in honde.
By this proverbe thou shalt understonde."
This work is perfect for majors of English literature and
college courses in literature. A beauty of the work is that
it is written in the original English dialect of the
centuries represented. Critiques of this work alone could
fill a dozen or so academic dissertations.The book in my personal library
is an earlier version. There are many subsequent editions. In each subsequent edition, the author has made some additions/deletions.
The subject matter of my review is a late 60s/early 70s version of the book. Check on the Amazon.com for "used books for sale" to acquire the
earlier version.
Norton is still the best.......2003-04-22
This second volume of the NAEL covers the expanse of the Romantic Period, the Victorian Age and the 20th Century (or Modern Period). While I did have to get this book for a survey course, I was pleasantly suprised at the vast range of work represented in the text.
Not only does the book include "Cannonical" writers but also more obscure writers that may not be as well known now but were popular during their timeframe. The text has an equal amount of work represented from both women and men and explains the viewpoint of each in relation to what was going on at the time. An example are the women Romantic writers; they viewed things differently than their male counterparts and therefore wrote about different things, had different styles of writing, etc.
Of course, as with all Norton books, there are bios of each author before their selections, introductions to each period, apendicies, bibliographies, essays and a section of goegraphic nomenclature. The book is well formated, foot-noted (not end-noted =)), and the selections are marvelous. Anyone well versed in English literature should have this book on their shelves.
A great anthology of English Literature.......2002-12-04
I had to buy this book for two of my English Literature survey courses. I'm sure that most people who buy this volume do the same--they buy it because they have to. Still, it is an excellent volume and a very thorough survey of English Literature, from the middle ages on down to the nineteenth century.
Highlights from this volume include Seamus Heaney's exceptional translation of Beowulf (in its entirety), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, many selections from the Canterbury Tales, lots of Shakespeare, and Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost, reprinted in full.
As I said before, many who buy this volume will do so because they have to. Still, I think most people will find this anthology to be one they will not be selling back at the end of the semester. I know I'll definitely be keeping mine. This is a great place to start a study of English Literature.
Customer Reviews:
One of the world's great traditions in Literature .......2004-10-29
I had to study , read and read this anthology in graduate school. This was not hard to do, as the anthology contains the great milestones of English literature one of the great literatures of the world. To know English literature as a whole one would do well to read and study these volumes.
Average customer rating:
- great
- Good Price and No Delays
- Excellent Canon
- African American Literature
- In time and in plastic
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The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (Includes Audio CD)
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ASIN: 0393959082 |
Amazon.com
A whopping 2,665 pages, The Norton Anthology of African American Literature was 10 years in the making, and it proves to have been well worth the wait. Beginning with vernacular forms such as the spirituals and the blues, it encompasses the whole history of black writing from the poems of Phillis Wheatley to the work of contemporary writers such as Terri McMillan, Toni Morrison, and Charles Johnson. Each section includes an introductory essay, and there is a brief biographical essay for each writer. The anthology includes an audio CD containing recorded examples of many of the songs and speeches.
Book Description
Welcomed on publication as "brilliant, definitive, and a joy to teach from," (Russ Castronovo, University of Miami) The Norton Anthology of African American Literature was adopted at more than 1,275 colleges and universities worldwide. Now, the new Second Edition offers these highlights:
Nine new writers The Second Edition includes nine new writers spanning three centuries: Jupiter Hammon, Venture Smith, Martin Delany, Elizabeth Keckley, Gayl Jones, Caryl Phillips, Edwidge Danticat, Colson Whitehead, and Harryette Mullen.
Strengthened Vernacular Tradition Building on the editors' view that vernacular expression lives in performance, the original Audio Companion CD has been expanded to a two-CD set; Disc 1, Music, includes vocal and instrumental pieces-from ragtime to Motown. Disc 2, Spoken Word, offers 24 speeches, readings, and performances, from Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois to Amiri Baraka and Rita Dove.
11 complete longer works Venture Smith, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa: But Resident Above Sixty Years in the United States of America (new); Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave; James Weldon Johnson, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man; Nella Larsen, Quicksand (new); Richard Wright, The Man Who Lived Underground; Gwendolyn Brooks, Maud Martha; Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun; Amiri Baraka, Dutchman; Ed Bullins, Goin'a Buffalo: A Tragifantasy; Adrienne Kennedy, A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White; August Wilson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone (new).
Strengthened Apparatus and a More Readable Format
- An extensive, new Selected General Bibliography
- Revised—some entirely rewritten—period introductions, headnotes, footnotes, and updated author bibliographies
- Updated timeline
- A new trim size and bolder typeface for easier reading
Thoroughly Revised "Literature Since 1975" Succeeding the late Barbara Christian, new editor Cheryl A. Wall has included 5 new writers-poet Harryette Mullen and fiction writers Gayl Jones, Caryl Phillips, Edwidge Danticat, and Colson Whitehead. In addition, Wall has rewritten the period introduction and many headnotes in their entirety and updated all apparatus.
Course Guide by Joycelyn A. Moody, University of Washington Thoroughly revised, the Course Guide is now a more helpful resource. It provides a wealth of thematic approaches to teaching with The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, teaching suggestions for individual works, questions and research projects, bibliographic resources for all authors, and a special section on teaching the vernacular traditions. Throughout, the Guide suggests ways to integrate the content of the Audio Companion CDs with the printed texts.
Customer Reviews:
great.......2007-03-12
Brand new and amazing price. Much cheaper than the bookstore at my univeristy. Arrived soon after purchase.
Good Price and No Delays.......2007-01-23
At the school I attend most of these books are unavailble, because they're sold out. Luckily, I got my book online :) with no delays! This book in the bookstore would have cost alot and buying online plus the shipping & handling was still cheaper.
Excellent Canon.......2005-11-30
I noticed that someone asked for a review of this piece, here is something I did when the first edition came out in 1997, for the newspaper I worked for at the time, the Durham Herald-Sun. Published 01/05/97
African-American lit anthology's `heavy' - UNC professor helped as canon was decided for long-awaited book
Byline: ERNIE SUGGS The Herald-Sun
When discussing African-American literature, the name Victor Sejour doesn't stand out as readily as the likes of Harriet Jacobs, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes and James Baldwin.
But the work of the expatriate who left New Orleans for Paris at the age of 20 has just rewritten history. His short story, ``Le Mulatre,'' (The Mulatto) published in France in 1837, now is considered the oldest known work of fiction by an African-American writer.
The piece was discovered in 1992 by UNC English Professor William L. Andrews for special inclusion in the new ``Norton Anthology of African American Literature.''
Sejour's work is among dozens by African-American writers, poets, preachers, essayists, singers and even rappers included in the massive tome, which was published Dec. 16.
``Heavy,'' said Duke University's director of Afro-American studies, Karla Holloway, in describing the new anthology.
``This is exactly what we have been waiting for,'' Holloway said. ``It is thorough, the coverage is impressive and it has weight, literally and physically.''
At 2,655 pages, the single, 21/2-pound volume is indeed heavy.
But the weight of what is on the pages may be enough to change the way African-American literature is perceived for generations.
Henry Louis Gates Jr., W.E.B DuBois professor of humanities and chairman of the Afro-American studies department at Harvard University, was one of two general editors for the book. Gates, who also served briefly as head of Duke University's Afro-American studies program, called the anthology a ``canon'' and said that there never would be another excuse for not being able to find African-American literature.
Literary scholars are hailing the text as a breakthrough and calling it revolutionary. College professors are lining up to get it and preparing syllabi to teach it.
``It is the most important anthology of African-American literature that has been published in the 20th century,'' said Andrews, E. Maynard Adams professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ``Not that there haven't been magnificent anthologies -- and this isn't the first one -- but this is the most important because it is the anthology for the second black literary renaissance of the 20th century.''
The anthology is the culmination of 10 years of research by a team of editors and scholars. The team's research dates back to a 1746 poem by Lucy Terry called ``Bar Fights.''
``In North Carolina, it has always been something that people have asked me about. `When is it coming out? When is it coming out?' '' said Steven Hoge, field editor for New York-based W.W. Norton & Co., which published the anthology. ``I would always say, `Any year now.' ''
So diverse is the book that it includes the work of 1993 Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, rap-music godfathers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Phillis Wheatley -- a slave brought to America from Senegal at the age of 8 who became the first African-American to publish a book in English.
``This is trying to establish a canon,'' said Hoge, who works out of Chapel Hill.
``As a publisher of anthologies, we've always taken the anthology business very seriously.''
Many anthologies of African-American writing have been published -- including ``Les Cenelles'' in 1845 and ``Black Writers of America'' in 1972 -- but this is the first one W.W. Norton has published.
There are now 10 ``Nortons,'' all of which are among the most widely used college literature texts. But the ``Norton Anthology of African-American Literature'' is accompanied by a compact disc, which includes speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and jazz pieces by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.
Arlene Clift-Pellow, chairwoman of N.C. Central University's department of English, said her department currently is reviewing the book for likely inclusion in students' studies.
Holloway said that she will begin teaching Duke students from the text next fall in her introduction to African-American literature classes, and Andrews said that he will start teaching UNC students from it this semester.
``This is a more exciting time,'' Andrews said. ``I had never used an anthology before and I am looking forward to teaching from this one.''
Sejour story hunted
Andrews' students will be lucky to work closely with someone who worked on the book's production. Andrews, an expert on African-American literature before 1920, was one of nine section or chapter editors.
For his chapter, ``The Literature of Slavery and Freedom: 1746-1865,'' Andrews was responsible for selecting, editing and writing the annotations and introductions for all of the works included.
One of the most fascinating finds, by far, was that of Sejour's story.
``Since I am one of the editors of the volume, I wanted to include Sejour's work,'' Andrews said. ``But it was a question of could I find it.''
Andrews said Sejour's short story was known only by a few scholars, and it never had been translated to English.
``Le Mulatre'' was the only piece of fiction that Sejour had ever written, having devoted the rest of his life to drama. He became famous in Europe and never returned to the United States,'' Andrews said. ``Here he is largely forgotten.''
Andrews said that he and a French-speaking colleague, Philip Barnard of the University of Kansas, traveled to France and found the story in the obscure 1837 journal ``La Revue des Colonies'' at the Bibliotheque National in Paris.
``It wasn't so hard to find because Bibliotheque National is such a magnificent library,'' Andrews said. ``The hardest part was getting the service done.''
Andrews said that until this discovery, it had been assumed that the oldest piece of fiction written by an African-American was Frederick Douglass' ``The Heroic Slave.''
That piece, which was written in 1853, was only part fiction. Part was based on a historical event.
``Sejour's story is wholly a fictional tale, and it pre-dates Douglass' by 16 years,'' Andrews said. ``With this story, it moves the history of African-American literature back to 1837.''
Andrews said that his only concerns about the piece were what it was about and whether the story fit among the other writers of the era.
``Le Mulatre'' is the story of a slave born of the rape of a slave by her master. Later, the master rapes his son's wife, and the slave kills him in revenge.
Andrews describes Sejour's work in ``Le Mulatre,'' as a cross between Douglass and Edgar Allen Poe. Like Poe's work, the story is gruesome and exhibits extreme psychotic states of mind, Andrews said.
``Then, like Douglass, it's profoundly concerned with freedom and slavery,'' said Andrews, who worked at the University of Kansas before coming to UNC four months ago.
Other strengths cited
Holloway, a science fiction buff, said she is most impressed with the book's inclusion of Octavia Butler, whose ``Bloodchild'' appears in the ``Literature Since 1970'' chapter.
``Bloodchild'' is a short work of fiction by Butler that challenges contemporary ideas about gender and race in a futuristic way.
``I also like the inclusion of the Black Arts Movement,'' said Holloway, referring to the chapter focusing on 1960 through 1970.
``We have a hard time finding a coherent, well-integrated discussion on it. Now we have one.''
But Holloway, like the book's co-editor Nellie Y. McKay, a professor of American and Afro-American literature at the University of Wisconsin, feels that the section on rap music doesn't belong.
``It's an interesting discussion,'' said Holloway, who attended the book's coming-out party at the Modern Language Convention. ``I just would have argued against it.''
Holloway said the wait for the book has been well worth it and she looks forward to the publication of more African-American anthologies, which are in the works.
``A lot of people see this as competition, but the more choices that we have as a profession, the clearer the weight and substance,'' she said.
African American Literature.......2005-09-28
I did not find the VIN number and I got the wrong edition. This was the first edition and I needed the second.
In time and in plastic.......2005-09-26
This book arrived in perfect timing, in great condition, and in plastic (protection from pesky fall rains). Thanks so much!
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Norton Anthology of American Literature
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Book Description
The classic survey of American literature from its origins to the present, The Norton Anthology of American Literature offers the work of 212 writers--38 newly included. From trickster tales of the Native American tradition to bestsellers of early women writers to postmodernism, the new edition conveys the diversity of American literature. Thirty works are included in their entirety in the two volumes, among them The Awakening, A Streetcar Named Desire, and, new to this edition, Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," and David Mamet's Glengarry, Glen Ross.
Customer Reviews:
IT WAS BRAND NEW.......2007-02-17
I don't have any complaints. The book was brand new, so of course there were no problems with it. The book was delivered in a timely manner.
Norton Anthology of American Literature Volumes C, D, and E.......2007-02-10
I purchased these volumes of the anthology for school and, while I am not generally a fan of reading out of anthologies, this whole set has been very beneficial. I plan on keeping them after I finish the class in order to use them when I become an English teacher. The author introductions are helpful and insightful, providing sufficient background on the writer so that the reader may better understand each story by having a basic knowledge of what the author was experiencing in his or her life. The footnotes areexcellent, giving definitions of archaic words and phrases that might not otherwise be found without extensive search into the customs of the English language. Overall, this was a good purchase, and I will use it often in the future.
Fast Secure Shipping!.......2007-01-29
The college bookstore was TOO busy this semester. I took a couple of minutes and LOTS OF FAITH in ordering the volumes on-line. This order was shipped and at my home before I could blink!
Dinosaurs!.......2006-02-16
Another too thick, too heavy, too expensive textbook anthology of American literature. There're FAR too many selections to cover in a university survey course (which is all these books are good for--no one would read them for pleasure!) and a lot of them are pretty mediocre. When will these dinosaurs collapse under their own weight and some enlightened editors come up with something truly useful, meaningful, and inspiring? No wonder the reading public is is shrinking--these obese anthologies destroy any desire to read and study literature.
another daunting literary anthology?.......2002-12-13
The misleading title of this anthology is the first thing that comes to mind when receiving it in the mail: "...Shorter Fifth Edition." After lugging it along on my hike to class every morning for the past semester, I have a few issues with that proudly displayed "shorter." There are few books I can think of that aren't shorter than this one. Length (and weight) aside, the comprehensiveness of the anthology is amazing. As an English major, I've read a lot of anthologies, but this one stands out among them. In addition to the standard fare (T. S. Eliot, "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Huck Finn") that we English majors read in class after class, it features a diverse range of refreshing and new entries. Every point of view under the ridiculously broad umbrella of Americanness seems to be represented here: the rarely-seen chants and myths of the Native Americans, the poetry of slaves, and an impressive number of women writers are all accounted for. It's a relief to read an anthology that doesn't just have the same old prose as every other anthology, and for that, I'm more than willing to drag the heavy book to and from campus.
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