Readings
Following are some general studies of and introductions to literature written in England before 1700. These include some guides to literary study. (Primary authors and DuBois Library call numbers are in bold.)

Handbooks

Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren. How to Read a Book. NY: Touchstone, 1972. PN 83 .A43 1972 [Amazon]

Paul Fussell. Poetic Meter and Poetic Form. NY: McGraw-Hil, 1979. PE 1505 .F78 1979 [Amazon]

Sister Miriam Joseph. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric. Paul Dry, 2002. Renaissance Center/MHC PE 1408 .M568 2002 [Amazon]

Alex Preminger et al., eds. The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetic Forms. Princeton UP, 1993. PN 1021 .N39 1993 [Amazon]

On-line Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric

Lewis Turco. The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics. 3rd ed. UPNE, 2000. PN 1042 .T78 2000 [Amazon]

Literary Histories

Pat Rogers, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature. NY: Oxford UP, 1991. PR 83 .O94 1987 [Amazon]

George Saintsbury. A History of English Prosody. free @ google books: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3.

W.S. Hinchman & F. Grummere. Lives of the Great English Authors. Houghton-Mifflin, 1908. free @ google books: here.

Oxford History of English Literature Series (Old Series, and very good)

  • E.K. Chambers. English Literature at the Close of the Middle Ages. Oxford UP, 1947. PR 291 .C5
  • H.S. Bennet. Middle English Literature. Oxford UP, 1986. PR 255 .B45
  • H.S. Bennett. Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century. Oxford UP, 1961. BR 255 .B43
  • Hunter & Wilson. The English Drama, 1485–1585. Oxford UP, 1969. PR 641 .W58
  • C.S. Lewis. English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama. Oxford UP, 1954. PR 411 .L4
  • Douglas Bush. English Literature in the Early Seventeenth Century, 1600–1660. Oxford UP, 1952. PR 431 .B8
  • James Sutherland. Restoration Literature, 1660–1700. Oxford UP, 1990. PR 437 .S9
  • Bonamy Dobreé. The Early Eighteenth Century, 1700–1740. Oxford UP, 1990. PR 445 .D6
  • J. Butt. The Mid-Eighteenth Century. Oxford UP, 1979. PR 441 .B83
  • W.L. Renwick. English Literature, 1789–1815. Oxford: Clarendon, 1963. PR 447 .R4.

Cambridge Companions (NB. In the library catalogue, click on the cover image for a table of contents):

  • CC to Old English Literature, Godden & Lapidge. PR 173 .C36 [Amazon]
  • CC to Medieval Romance, Kreguer, PN 671 .C36 [Amazon]
  • CC to Chaucer, Boitano. PR 1924 .C28 [Amazon]
  • CC to English Lit, 1500-1600, Kinney. PR 413 .C29 [Amazon]
  • CC to English Lit, 1650-1740, Zwicker. PR 437 .C36 [Amazon]

History

Oxford History of England Series:

  • Peter Salway. Roman Britain. Oxford UP, 1981. DA 145 .S26 [Amazon]
  • J.N.L. Myers. The English Settlements. Oxford UP, 1986. DA 152 .M97
  • Sir Frank Stenton. Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford UP, 1945. DA 152 .S74 [Amazon]
  • A. L. Poole. From Domesday Book to Magna Carta, 1087–1216. Oxford UP, 1956.DA 175 .P6 [Amazon]
  • Sir Maurice Powicke. The Thirteenth Century, 1216–1307. Oxford UP, 1991. DA 225 .P65[Amazon]
  • May McKisack. The Fourteenth Century, 1307–1399. Oxford UP, 1959. DA 230 .M25 [Amazon
  • E. F. Jacob, The Fifteenth Century 1399–1485. Oxford UP, 1961. DA 245 .J3
  • J. D. Mackie. The Early Tudors, 1485–1558. Oxford UP, 1957. DA 325 .M3
  • J. B. Black. The Reign of Elizabeth, 1558–1603. Oxford UP, 1959. DA 355 .B65
  • Godfrey Davies. The Early Sturats, 1603–1660. Oxford UP, 1959. DA 390 .D3

Anglo-Saxon England

  • Peter Hunter Blair. The Age of Bede
  • Campbell et al. The Anglo-Saxons.