A guide to English literature in which thousands of detailed A-Z entries are combined with a series of essays. The book creates a research network, allowing the user to follow lines of interest, investigate topics, and place them within historical and social contexts. For this edition, the essays have been arranged chronologically, enabling quick reference and providing a sense of the historical progression of all forms of literature in the English language. The text is cross-referenced and bibliographical references have been checked and updated.