Lang traces English writing from Anglo-Saxon verse and the Christian poetry of the monasteries through Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chaucer, the Elizabethans, Marvell and the Restoration satirists, and on to the Victorians. He openly favours the masters over the minor names, aiming, as his preface says, to rouse a living interest in the books themselves rather than to compile an encyclopaedia.
A witty, opinionated guide from one of the most widely read Victorian men of letters. Download the free EPUB.