From Miscellany to Anthology

After reading about miscellanies and examining multiple examples of them, we turned to the modern manifestations of these early printed collections: modern literary anthologies.

Reviewing the above anthologies, we worked together to cobble together a broad history of poetry as recorded by these large compendia. How did these works over time work to construct the literary canon? How does poetry figure within them? Which poets are included and what political and cultural developments took place during the times in which they wrote their best known works? How did literary style and form shift over time in relation to new technologies related to print and publishing?

Here are some notes on the British and American canon that we compiled together from these anthologies.