Poetry and the Making of the English Literary Past

Concentrating on the period 1660-1781, this book explores how the English literary past was made. It charts how antiquarians unearthed the raw materials of the English (or more widely) British tradition; how scholars drafted narratives about the development of native literature; and how critics assigned the leading writers to canons of literary greatness. The author claims that the opening up and ordering of the English literary past occurs earlier than is generally supposed.