The Living Record, cz.1-2

The Living Record, cz.1-2 - Derek Allen

- THE LIVING RECORD 1 A short history and anthology of English Literature: 192 s. - THE LIVING RECORD 2 A short history and anthology of English and American Literature: 352 s. This short history and anthology of English and American literature (from the origins to the present) takes its title from Shakespeare’s fifty-fifth sonnet in which he states that his“powerful rime” will outlive all the “gilded monuments” of princes. Indeed his boast was not in vain. Literature seems to have the power to stay alive or, to use the famous definition of the American poet Ezra Pound: “Literature is news that stays news”. This book tries to show students the truth of this definition. Thus each selection is charged with meaning for the modern student. The texts themselves are fully annotated to help students in their difficult task of deciphering the language, and ample historical and biographical material is also provided to complete the picture.The exercises themselves are aimed at first making certain that the students have understood what they have read; then, once the basic meaning is grasped, other exercises help them understand the literary forms used to convey meaning and thenpresent a well-informed interpretation of the text as a whole. Finally, students are asked to give their own opinion, to react to these powerful living records.