The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context

Anthology as a genre is often given short shrift in Anglophone dictionaries of literary terms. Despite the abundance of anthologies on the book market, this genre tends to be perceived as a given that does not require much explanation. The author of this article challenges such a standpoint and, ta...

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Main Author: Mirosława Buchholtz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Warsaw Press 2022-03-01
Series:Prace Filologiczne. Literaturoznawstwo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/pfl/article/view/790
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author Mirosława Buchholtz
author_facet Mirosława Buchholtz
author_sort Mirosława Buchholtz
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description Anthology as a genre is often given short shrift in Anglophone dictionaries of literary terms. Despite the abundance of anthologies on the book market, this genre tends to be perceived as a given that does not require much explanation. The author of this article challenges such a standpoint and, taking her cue from C. Hugh Holman’s handbook definition, considers the examples he gives in order to draw conclusions about how the concept of anthology has been used throughout the time starting from Richard Tottel’s miscellany (1557) and finishing with Francis Turner Palgrave’s Golden Treasury (1861). Relying on recent research in the theory and practice of Anglophone anthology, the author discusses the main qualities of this genre from historical perspective. She traces in particular the anthology’s involvement in democratization of literature, on the one hand, and its implication in constructing literary history and cultural imperialism, on the other hand.
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spelling doaj.art-b1b60a259e67456893363e9b6dea03922022-12-22T02:34:35ZengUniversity of Warsaw PressPrace Filologiczne. Literaturoznawstwo2084-60452658-25032022-03-0112 (15)10.32798/pflit.790The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone ContextMirosława Buchholtz0Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Anthology as a genre is often given short shrift in Anglophone dictionaries of literary terms. Despite the abundance of anthologies on the book market, this genre tends to be perceived as a given that does not require much explanation. The author of this article challenges such a standpoint and, taking her cue from C. Hugh Holman’s handbook definition, considers the examples he gives in order to draw conclusions about how the concept of anthology has been used throughout the time starting from Richard Tottel’s miscellany (1557) and finishing with Francis Turner Palgrave’s Golden Treasury (1861). Relying on recent research in the theory and practice of Anglophone anthology, the author discusses the main qualities of this genre from historical perspective. She traces in particular the anthology’s involvement in democratization of literature, on the one hand, and its implication in constructing literary history and cultural imperialism, on the other hand. https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/pfl/article/view/790anthologyRichard TottelFrancis Turner Palgravehistory of literaturedemocratizationimperialism
spellingShingle Mirosława Buchholtz
The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
Prace Filologiczne. Literaturoznawstwo
anthology
Richard Tottel
Francis Turner Palgrave
history of literature
democratization
imperialism
title The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
title_full The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
title_fullStr The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
title_full_unstemmed The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
title_short The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context
title_sort invisible genre towards a definition of literary anthology in the anglophone context
topic anthology
Richard Tottel
Francis Turner Palgrave
history of literature
democratization
imperialism
url https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/pfl/article/view/790
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