Contains 9,000 alphabetical entries including biographical information on authors, composers and artists, 2,000 plot summaries, movements in literature, literary prizes, and articles on literary societies.

"This new edition contains more than 600 entirely new entries, to reflect the new figures and issues of English literature in the new millennium, and the existing entries have been extensively revised and updated to incorporate the latest scholarhip. But it remains faithful to Sir Paul Harvey's original vision of an authoritative work placing English literature in its widest context: no other volume offers such extensive exploration of the classical...