History of English Literature (Vol. 1-3)

The History of the English Literature was an epoch-changing book of its time, as it invested in presenting a scientific analysis and a complete structure overview of this subject. The book starts with the prehistorical notes on the conditions of the British Isles that favored the early development of literary art. A reader gets a systematic account of the Saxon and Norman literature, the Renaissance developments, the life and influence of Shakespeare. The second volume gives an insight into the literature of the early protestant era, featuring such personalities as John Bunyan and Milton. Further, a reader finds an account of the Classic age with Dryden, Sir William Temple, Sir John Denham, Addison, Swift, and numerous novel writers William Hogarth, Samuel Richardson, and others. The third volume deals with the representatives of what was later called the beginning of the Golden Age of British Literature. The author analyzes the works of Byron, Thackeray, Macaulay, and Carlyle.

Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (1828 - 1893) was a French critic and historian whose primary achievement was establishing a scientific account of literature since he was one of the first proponents of historical criticism. Although not commonly known to a contemporary reader, Taine strongly impacted such great writers as Zola, Bourget, and Maupassant.