The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: The Western Tradition

By: Lawall, Sarah N.

Offering a splendid collection of literary masterpieces in the best available translations, The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces is a literal library of Western literature in two portable... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039397300X
• ISBN13: 9780393973006
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 2 Pages
• Weight: 3.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

'salright

exactly what to be expected from an anthology. good introductions to the pieces, authors, etc. 'salright.

Worldly, well made and well written

Overall, this book provides an excellent survey of world literature from the Age of Reason to Post-Modernism. The translations were very well done for all languages. I especially enjoyed the German works written by Goethe, Freud, Rilke, and Kafka. The footnotes served as a great tool in explaining that certain words chosen may not have been the exact equivalent, and definitions and examples are sometimes included to give the reader a better understanding of the messages conveyed by authors. Unfortunately, I see some overlap in this book and in Norton's American Literature II and British Literature II. Also, the pronunciation guides in the beginning some stories such as Achebe's Things Fall Apart are quite limited. The durability of the pages and covers of Norton's books have greatly improved. The type, font, kerning and spacing is fairly easy to read without too much eye strain, especially since the character size is so small.