A balance of the most commonly taught works of Western literature with important non-Western selections creates an expanded canon for the twenty-first century student. This superb collection spans the globe from ancient Greece to the contemporary Caribbean. Twenty-seven complete longer works are included along with additional fiction, drama, poetry, and essays, carefully selected to provide flexible options for instructors who wish to draw connections among texts and across traditions. The best available translations have been chosen for their fidelity to the original texts and their accessibility for students.
Generous cultural and historical contexts help orient students in the world of literature. Each chronologically organized volume contains in-depth historical overviews of each period; comparative timelines of historical, literary, scientific, and cultural events; informative biographical headnotes for every author; and an unsurpassed collection of images and maps.
Linked "Text in Context" and "In the World" sections enrich students’ experience of crucial works and explore thematic connections in texts from around the world. Twenty of the most commonly taught Western and non-Western works, spotlighted as "Text in Context" selections, are surrounded with additional contextual materials such as maps and images; these works are followed by "In the World" clusters of writings from around the world, written around a related theme. For example, ancient texts on themes of heroes and adventure illuminate
The Odyssey in Volume 1; twentieth-century texts on themes of war and resistance connect to
The Waste Land in Volume 2.
"In the Tradition" clusters trace poetic traditions within and across cultures and include Tang Dynasty poetry, Andalusian and European love lyrics, and Romantic lyrics.
An engaging two-color design and a host of helpful reference tools give students the additional help they need. Phonetic pronunciation guides, clear explanatory footnotes, bibliographies for further research, and glossaries of literary and critical terms give students even more help for exploring an entire world of literature.