Supporting the study of English literature from the middle Ages to the present, this book is designed as an introductory text and a helpful reference tool for an entire English Literature degree. Its key mission is to help students understand the link between the historical context in which the literature developed, how this has influenced the literature of the period and how subsequent periods in literature have been influenced by those that precede them. The book is carefully structured for undergraduate use and textboxes that enhance and summarise vital background material.