Book Description

The British Library is home to an unparalleled collection of original manuscripts of great English literature, from the tenth-century manuscript of Beowulf to the work of such twentieth-century authors as T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, and Angela Carter. With 1000 Years of English Literature, Chris Fletcher shares some of the gems from the collection. Originally published in 2003, this updated and expanded paperback edition chronicles the life and work of more than one hundred of the best-loved British writers, with greater attention paid to the writers of the twentieth century. Each spread begins with an engaging sketch of the life and significance of the author, then offers a reproduced portion of manuscript on the facing page. Among the writers included are Shakespeare, Dickens, Wordsworth, and Larkin, and the volume also presents such masterpieces as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Whether written on parchment, vellum, or paper, and whether poems, short stories, novels, or diaries, these documents offer fascinating insights into the world of the writer at work and at times reveal major amendments and corrections carried out during the course of writing. An inspiring vision of literary achievement, 1000 Years of English Literature will not only teach and delight but also enrich the pleasure of reading and rereading the best literature Britain has to offer.