The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume 2A: The Romantics and Their Contemporaries (4th Edition)

It's been a great textbook for my British Lit class and has helped me understand the writing of the times better.

The Longman Anthology of Romantic Literature is an excellent resource for anyone studying Romantic Lit authors, themes and influences. With its short biographies of each author, it provides a manageable sampling of each author's writings and style. It also features helpful articles in a topical arrangement, surrounding popular works such as Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman."

I gave it a five-star rating because anyone who is studying the Romantic Period should have this book in his or her possession.

I teach from the Norton and the Longman; I've even toyed with using the Broadview. I respect the Longman's inclusion of non-canonical texts, and I find their introductions useful and interesting. I can say the same of the other major anthology producers, however. I switched to the Longman a few years ago because Longman British v2(C) included Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine, which is a great, if somewhat controversial, text to teach in the second British survey. Then they dropped it, but I stuck with it because, well, my notes were in it.One thing that has bothered me over the years, however, is that the footnotes go beyond historical context and veer annoyingly toward interpretation. I prefer to do the interpretation with my students. Frankly, this move toward interpretive footnotes has infected some of the Norton Critical Editions, too, but I haven't noticed it as much with the anthology.The other annoying thing about the Longman is the frequency with which they update. This would seem like a strength, but we all know it's to force students to buy new editions rather than used. They review and revise twice as frequently as the Norton. Worth considering when you have to copy all those notes from one book to another every three years instead of every six....

The Longman Anthology of British Literature, 2A / 0-321-10579-6This anthology belongs to the three-volume set of The Longman Anthology of British Literature (Volumes 2A, 2B, 2C). Each volume contains gorgeous color plates of contemporary artwork and portraits. The authors are arranged not only by the dates they represent, but also by the causes that they provide perspective on. This arrangement makes the literary selections more meaningful when read as a group, and provides a great deal of insight on pertinent issues which influenced the authors' writings. This arrangement does mean, however, that many selections are scattered throughout the work, so if you wish to read all the selections by a specific author, then you will have to wade through the index to find the three or four places where their writings are located.The authors represented in this volume are:- Austen, Jane- Baillie, Joanna- Barbauld, Ann Letitia- Bellamy, Thomas- Blake, William- Burke, Edmund- Burns, Robert- Clare, John- Clarkson, Thomas- Cobbett, William- Coleridge, Samuel Taylor- Cowper, William- de Quincey, Thomas- Equiano, Olaudah- Gilpin, William- Godwin, William- Gordon, George (Lord Byron)- Hazlitt, William- Hemans, Felicia- Kant, Immanuel- Keats, John- Lamb, Charles- Lamb, Mary- Macaulay, Catherine- Moore, Thomas- More, Hannah- Newton, John- Paine, Thomas- Polwhele, Richard- Prince, Mary- Radcliffe, Mary Anne- Robinson, Mary- Ruskin, John- Scott, Sir Walter- Shelley, Percy Bysshe- Smith, Charlotte- Smith, Eaglesfied- Southey, Robert- Spence, Sir Patrick- Thompson, William- Wakefield, Priscilla Bell- Wheeler, Anna- Williams, Helen Maria- Wollstonecraft, Mary- Wordsworth, Dorothy- Wordsworth, William- Yearsley, Ann Cromartie- Young, Arthur~ Ana Mardoll

For the purpose of teaching British Lit to undergraduates, this is the best anthology. In addition to the wonderful array of texts, there are full-color plates and black and white drawings and significant discussions of cultural movements and conditions. This anthology has helped to bring non-canonical texts to the fore, especially with respect to abolition and slavery. Prior to the publication of the first edition of this anthology, British abolitionist texts were not widely included in anthologies.I love this anthology and am firmly committed to it. This is a book students will hold on to and it's a great book from which to teach.

I'm using the Longman Anthology of the Romantics and their Contemporaries (3d edition) for the first time in my 3d-year Romantics course (enrolment 88 and counting!) -- I would like to thank the editors for doing a fantastic job -- the introductory essay (pp. 3-29) is truly unparallelled for clarity, scope, and intelligence -- absolutely filled to the brim with great, challenging ideas. The headnotes provide a meaningful, detailed historical background. Excellent, well annotated selections -- the notes are great too -- not condescending, not entirely ruled by the editors' obsessions, finely articulated. What a sane, sensible, well balanced, erudite anthology! Congratulations and thank you !

This is a gorgeous anthology, with dazzling color plates (Martin, Gainsborough, Wright, Turnery, Blake, etc.) that are wonderful to look at and even better to teach with. The selections are all you could want for a survey of the romantics, and the organization of the materials--especially the cultural/contextual sections--is extremely helpful both for students of romantic literature and for the teacher designing a course. The notes are consistently illuminating without being obtrusive. This is an edition to trust. I'll never go Norton again!