本书按历史年代编写，集诗歌、小说、戏剧和散文为一书。作家按出生年月排序。本书的编写体例是：分成若干部分（Part），每部分含若干章（Chapter）。每章中内容顺序基本是：作家生平和作品介绍（Life and works）、故事梗概（Outline）（有的作家没有）、简单评论 (Brief comment)、作品选读（Selection）、注释(Notes)和思考题（For study and discussion）。本书囊括各时期重要作家及其代表作品，共68位作家（含诗人、小说家、戏剧家、散文，册32个，第二册36个），选篇120个（册52个，第二册68个），贯穿整个英国文学进程。
本书旨在培养自主学习能力、研读作品能力、跨文化能力、思辨能力、研讨能力和评论能力。
本书读者对象包括英语专业、翻译专业和商务英语专业本科生，还可供自学考试本科英语专业和广大英国文学爱好者。

《英国文学史及选读》自首版以来多次重印，畅销不衰，其所倡导的"史""选"结合之编写方式成为同类教材的共同理念，进而成为英美文学课程教学通行的做法。为呼应新时代文学类课程的新需求，在深入调研的基础上，特推出第二版教材。在继承经典之外，第二版教材还有如下特色：
1. 力求完整呈现英国文学史全貌：在更新经典作家生平材料和作品选篇之外，增补现当代尤其是二战之后重要的作家和作品，增补一定数量的女性作家和作品。
2. "史""论"结合，加强理论储备：在文学作品赏析方面适当引入文艺批评理论知识，以帮助学生更好地鉴赏分析作品，为将来的学习和研究打下基础。
3. 课后思考讨论，促进深入学习与思考：新增的课后思考讨论题从文学技巧分析到中外文学比较，多角度引导学生独立思考，提升思辨能力与文学鉴赏水平。

李正栓，河北师范大学二级教授，北京大学文学博士，苏格兰斯特灵大学荣誉博士学位，河北师大学术带头人，河北省中青年骨干教师、省高校教学名师、省社会科学优秀青年专家。主要研究方向为英美诗歌、中英诗歌互译及译评，近年来出版汉译英文学著作多部，主要包括诗词英译、乐府诗英译、藏族四大格言诗英译、仓央嘉措诗歌英译。在《外国文学研究》、《中国翻译》等学术期刊上发表论文60多篇。曾七次获河北省优秀科研成果奖，五次获河北省优秀教学成果奖。
吴伟仁河北师范大学教授。
吴晓梅北京外国语大学博士在读。

CONTENTS
Part I The 5th Century till the First Half of the 14th Century: The
Age of Anglo-Saxon Poetry and the Anglo-Norman Poetry
Chapter 1 The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066)......................................3
Beowulf......................................................................... 4
Chapter 2 The Anglo-Norman Period (10661350).............................. 15
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight............................................... 16
Part II The 14th Century: The Age of Geoffrey Chaucer
Chapter 3 Geoffrey Chaucer.............................................. 27
The Canterbury Tales........................................................ 29
Part III The 15th Century: The Age of Popular Ballads
Chapter 4 Popular Ballads................................................... 37
Robin Hood and Allin-a-Dale................................................. 38
Get Up and Bar the Door.................................................... 42
Sir Patrick Spens......................................................... 45
Part IV The 16th Century: The Age of Drama and Poetry
Introduction.............................................................. 51
Chapter 5 Thomas Wyatt.................................................. 54
I Find No Peace........................................................... 55
Chapter 6 Henry Howard.................................................... 57
The Soote Season.......................................................... 59
Chapter 7 Edmund Spenser.................................................. 61
Sonnet 34................................................................. 63
Sonnet 75................................................................. 64
Chapter 8 Walter Raleigh.................................................. 66
The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd...................................... 67
Chapter 9 Philip Sidney................................................... 69
Leave Me, O Love.......................................................... 70
Chapter 10 Francis Bacon................................................. 72
Of Studies............................................................... 73
Chapter 11 Christopher Marlowe......................................... 76
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love..................................... 77
Chapter 12 William Shakespeare....................................... 79
Hamlet.............................................................. 82
Sonnet 1.............................................................. 94
Sonnet 18............................................................. 95
Sonnet 29............................................................ 96
Chapter 13 Ben Jonson.............................................. 98
Song: To Celia.................................................... 99
Part V The 17th Century: Revolution, Restoration and New Poetic
Expression
Introduction..............................................103
Chapter 14 John Donne........................................106
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning..................................108
The Flea............................................................110
Song (Go and catch a falling star)................................112
Death, Be Not Proud.................................................114
Chapter 15 Robert Herrick.......................................115
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.............................116
Chapter 16 George Herbert...........................................118
Virtue..............................................................119
Chapter 17 John Milton.........................................121
Paradise Lost.....................................................123
On His Blindness................................................128
On His Deceased Wife..........................................129
Chapter 18 John Suckling and Richard Lovelace...........................130
Out upon It! Song (Why so pale and wan, fond lover)......................131
To Lucasta, Going to the Wars........................................132
Chapter 19 Andrew Marvell...............................................134
To His Coy Mistress..................................................135
Chapter 20 John Bunyan.......................................138
The Pilgrims Progress............................................139
Part VI The 18th Century: Enlightenment, Neo-classicism and Pre-romanticism
Introduction.....................................................147
Chapter 21 John Dryden.................................................152
A Song for St Cecilias Day............................................153
Chapter 22 Daniel Defoe..................................................157
Robinson Crusoe....................................................158
Chapter 23 Jonathan Swift.......................................165
Gullivers Travels.............................................166
A Modest Proposal...............................................174
Chapter 24 Joseph Addison and Richard Steele.........................182
Sir Roger at Church............................................185
Chapter 25 Alexander Pope......................................188
An Essay on Criticism.......................................190
Chapter 26 Henry Fielding.................................193
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling......................................195
Chapter 27 Thomas Gray..........................................................201
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.....................................202
Chapter 28 Oliver Goldsmith................................................208
The Vicar of Wakefield.................................................209
Chapter 29 Richard Brinsley Sheridan..................................214
The School for Scandal.............................................215
Chapter 30 William Blake.................................................227
London.............................................................229
The Tyger......................................................230
The Chimney Sweeper..............................................231
The Sick Rose......................................................232
Chapter 31 Robert Burns............................................233
My Hearts in the Highlands...................................235
John Anderson, My Jo.............................................236
A Red, Red Rose..................................................237
Auld Lang Syne..................................................238
Mary Morison....................................................240
Scots, Wha Hae...............................................242