The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Verse and Prose by Alan Rudrum

The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Verse and Prose by Alan Rudrum

The publication of The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Verse and Proseis a literary event; this comprehensive volume is the first anthology of the period to reflect the breadth of seventeenth-century studies in recent decades. Over one hundred writers are included, from John Chamberlain at the beginning of the century to Elisabeth Singer Rowe at its end. There are generous selections from the work of all major writers, and a representation of the work of virtually every writer of significance. The work of women writers figures prominently, with extensive selections not only from canonical writers such as Behn and Bradstreet, but also from other writers (such as Katherine Philips and Margaret Cavendish) who have been receiving considerable scholarly attention in recent years.

The anthology is broadly inclusive, with writing from America as well as from the British Isles. Memoirs, letters, political texts, travel writing, prophetic literature, street ballads, and pamphlet literature are all here, as is a full representation of the literary poetry and prose of the period, including the poetry of Jonson; the prose of Bacon; the metaphysical poetry of Donne, Herbert, Marvell, and others; the lyric verse of Herrick; and substantial selections from the poetry and prose of Milton and Dryden. (While Samson Agonistesis included in its entirety, Milton's epic poems have been excluded, in order to allow space for other works not so readily accessible elsewhere.)

The editors have included complete works wherever possible. A headnote by the editors introduces each author, and each selection has been newly annotated.

“There are many good things to be said about The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Verse and Prose—not least that it comes to help relieve a quarter-of-a-century’s dearth of decent anthologies, that it covers the whole century, and that it includes a number of women writers…This ambitious and thoughtful anthology deserves a large audience” — Tom Clayton, Regents Professor of English, University of Minnesota

Professor of English and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is a contributing editor. He is one of the general editors of The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, and his most recent book is The Library of the Sidneys of Penshurst Place (University of Toronto Press, 2013).