BOOK Ⅰ THE PRELIMINARIES OF ENGLISH LITERATURE 1
CHAPTER Ⅰ THE EARLIEST ANGLO-SAXON POETRY 1
CHAPTER Ⅱ CEDMON，CYNEWULF，AND THOSE ABOUT THEM 9
CHAPTER Ⅲ ANGLO-SAXON PROSE 19
CHAPTER Ⅳ THE DECADENCE OF ANGLO-SAXON 29
INTERCHAPTER Ⅰ 32
BOOK Ⅱ THE MAKING OF ENGLISH LITERATURE 39
CHAPTER Ⅰ THE TRANSITION 39
CHAPTER Ⅱ FIRST MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD 1200-1250 48
CHAPTER Ⅲ SECOND MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD 1300-1360 62
CHAPTER Ⅳ EARLY ROMANCES－METRICAL 82
CHAPTER Ⅴ EARLY ROMANCES－ALLITERATIVE 102
INTERCHAPTER Ⅱ 109
BOOK Ⅲ CHAUCER AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES 115
CHAPTER Ⅰ CHAUCER＇S LIFE AND POEMS 115
CHAPTER Ⅱ LANGLAND AND GOWER 131
CHAPTER Ⅲ CHAUCER＇S PROSE－WYCLIF，TREVISA，MANDEVILLE 143
INTERCHAPTER Ⅲ 152
BOOK Ⅳ THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 157
CHAPTER Ⅰ THE ENGLISH CHAUCERIANS－LYDGATE TO SKELTON 157
CHAPTER Ⅱ THE SCOTTISH POETS－HISTORICAL，POLITICAL，AND MINOR 171
CHAPTER Ⅲ THE FOUR GREAT SCOTTISH POETS 180
CHAPTER Ⅳ LATER ROMANCES IN PROSE AND VERSE 193
CHAPTER Ⅴ MINOR POETRY AND BALLADS 200
CHAPTER Ⅵ MISCELLANEOUS PROSE 205
INTERCHAPTER Ⅳ 215
BOOK Ⅴ ELIZABETHAN LITERATURE TO THE DEATH OF SPENSER 219
CHAPTER Ⅰ PRELIMINARIES－DRAMA 219
CHAPTER Ⅱ PRELIMINARIES－PROSE 234
CHAPTER Ⅲ PRELIMINARIES－VERSE 242
CHAPTER Ⅳ SPENSER AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES 260
CHAPTER Ⅴ THE UNIVERSITY WITS 280
CHAPTER Ⅵ LYLY AND HOOKER－THE TRANSLATORS，PAMPHLETEERS，AND CRITICS 294
INTERCHAPTER Ⅴ 307
BOOK Ⅵ LATER ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN LITERATURE 313
CHAPTER Ⅰ SHAKESPEARE 313
CHAPTER Ⅱ SHAKESPEARE＇S CONTEMPORARIES IN DRAMA 330
CHAPTER Ⅲ THE SCHOOLS OF JACOBEAN POETRY 350
CHAPTER Ⅳ JACOBEAN PROSE－SECULAR 369
CHAPTER Ⅴ THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE ENGLISH PULPIT－Ⅰ 382
INTERCHAPTER Ⅵ 387
BOOK Ⅶ CAROLINE LITERATURE 391
CHAPTER Ⅰ BLANK VERSE AND THE NEW COUPLET 391
CHAPTER Ⅱ THE METAPHYSICALS－THE LYRIC POETS－THE MISCELLANISTS，ETC 411
CHAPTER Ⅲ THE DRAMA TILL THE CLOSING OF THE THEATRES 432
CHAPTER Ⅳ THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE ENGLISH PULPIT－Ⅱ 439
CHAPTER Ⅴ MISCELLANEOUS PROSE 447
CHAPTER Ⅵ SCOTS POETRY AND PROSE 458
INTERCHAPTER Ⅶ 467
BOOK Ⅷ THE AUGUSTAN AGES 471
CHAPTER Ⅰ THE AGE OF DRYDEN－POETRY 471
CHAPTER Ⅱ THE AGE OF DRYDEN－DRAMA 483
CHAPTER Ⅲ THE AGE OF DRYDEN－PROSE 506
CHAPTER Ⅲ THE NEW ESSAY 691
CHAPTER Ⅳ THE LAST GEORGIAN PROSE 706
CHAPTER Ⅴ THE MINOR POETS OF 1800-1830 715
INTERCHAPTER Ⅹ 724
BOOK Ⅺ VICTORIAN LITERATURE 727
CHAPTER Ⅰ TENNYSON AND BROWNING 727
CHAPTER Ⅱ THE VICTORIAN NOVEL 740
CHAPTER Ⅲ HISTORY AND CRITICISM 758
CHAPTER Ⅳ POETRY SINCE THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY 774
CHAPTER Ⅴ MISCELLANEOUS 787
CONCLUSION 795
INDEX 799