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