FOREWORD page ix
1 WHAT IS LITERATURE? 1
2 WHAT IS ENGLISH LITERATURE? 12
3 THE FIRST ENGLISH LITERATURE 20
 4 THE COMING OF THE NORMANS 30
 5 CHAUCER AND AFTER INTERLUDE-THE ENGLISH BIBLE 39
6 THE BEGINNINGS OF DRAMA 52
7 THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH DRAMA 57
8 EARLY ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 66
9 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 79
10 OTHER ELIZABETHAN DRAMATISTS 95
11 TUDOR POETRY AND PROSE 104
12 THE AGE OF MILTON: END OF A PERIOD 117
13 THE AGE OF DRYDEN 131
14 THE NEW DRAMA 154
15 POETRY IN THE AGE OF REASON 170
16 PROSE IN THE AGE OF REASON 181
17 THE ROMANTICS 199
18 THE VICTORIAN AGE 214
19 FRESH LIFE IN THE DRAMA 233
20 THE COMING OF THE MODERN AGE 256
21 TO THE PRESENT DAY 269
APPENDIX A-ENGLISH VERSE FORMS 281
 APPENDIX B-CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 296
 INDEX 311
327