Romanticism: An Anthology with CD-ROM (Blackwell Anthologies)

For an undergraduate (recommended) text this, disappointingly, does not live up to its copious content. Whilst there is a lot of poetry and prose concerning the romantic period, which is useful to any syllabus, the editors fall very short on the supporting text which consists of just what undergraduates are told not to do in their essays - contain biographical detail. The introductory passages about each featured writer do not possess any critical content, they merely give a rough biography and historical outline. In a lot of instances it would be better to buy, say, Heinemann Educational Bookshelf editions of (esp. the poets) texts and a good backup guide than carry around this tome. If you are looking at this as a springboard for inspiration towards an essay you will be sadly disappointed.

This Anthology is vital if you are studying or are interested in the Romantic period of literature. It spans the arguments of urke and Paine, branching into the Shelleys, Godwin, Wordsworth and Coleridge. It has excellent background on each writers and their contribution to the Movement as a whole.

I bought this book because I had to for my university module on Romanticism. Usually anthologies are heavy and made out of rizla paper that rips whenever you turn the page. This one, however, is pleasantly surprising. Though still a little heavy, it is (shock horror) made out of proper paper and there is room enough to annotate the texts. Which, for any student, is perfect.

Wu's text is a staple of most undergraduate romanticism courses, so you will almost inevitably have to buy this if you decide to study in that direction (as I did!). The layout of the book is excellent, plenty of room for you to annotate in the margins. The introductions to each of the writers give you a really good insight into their historical context and personal background. Wu's fotnotes are excellent and clear. However, I have one slight criticism of the text. It centres too much on Wordsworth and the other big six, and if you want to impress your tutor or gain a greater understanding of romantic literature I would advise you to read around the writers Wu marginalises. In particular, he sidelines Robert Burns and Hannah More, two writers who demonstrate the diversity of this period. Despite this,the anthology gently introduces you to ideas and writers of this period.

I used this text in the final year of my English degree and found it extremely useful. It is easy to find your way around, as it should be in any good anthology, and the author introductions are stimulating inasmuch as they provide enough information to make you want to track the authors down and learn more. The range of authors in the text is very broad and combines the easily recognisable poets of the more traditional literary canon with lesser known, but equally thought provoking, writers. The annotations are extensive and as much as they are useful, they can hamper the reader's engagement with the poems. It is always useful to know the meaning of unrecognisable words, but it can be a little annoying to have suggestions made as to how you should interpret the work. Don't let this put you off though. This is a great book that provides a brilliant starting point for anyone interested in Romanticism.