History of English Literature

Hippolyte Taine's History of English Literature is a sweeping critical journey through the nation's writing, from the Renaissance and Christian Reformation to the Restoration, the Revolution, and the rise of the novel. Taine reads literature as the product of religion, politics, social upheaval, and national temperament, bringing vivid portraits of Luther, Bunyan, Milton, Dryden, Addison, Swift, Johnson, and many others into a larger history of English thought and culture. He contrasts the moral force of the English Reformation with the corruption he sees in the Italian Renaissance, arguing that true renewal comes from conscience, liberty, and justice rather than pleasure and power. A major focus is Dryden, whose plays are judged as both a turning point and a compromise: polished, argumentative, and often weakened by French neoclassical rules, yet still vigorous in plot and action. Taine repeatedly measures him against Shakespeare, praising All for Love for its tragic dignity while criticizing other dramas, adaptations, and the Restoration stage for artificiality and excess. Richly illustrated, annotated, and indexed, the volume offers a broad, scholarly map of English literary history. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.