Sketches of English Literature, from the Fourteenth to the Present Century

Clara Lucas Balfour (1808–1878) published Sketches of English Literature in 1852. The work surveys the development of English literature from the revival of letters in the fourteenth century to the literary controversies of the mid-nineteenth. Balfour places a special focus on the work of women writers. The first chapters consider the impact of the Renaissance and Reformation, the development of printing, and the publication of early vernacular Bibles on English literature; and examine the work of a number of Elizabethan writers, including Spenser and Shakespeare. The survey continues with evaluations of later writers including Milton, Dryden and a number of female poets. Later chapters analyse the influence of science on literature and the work concludes with an examination of nineteenth-century socially conscious literature. Balfour's lively and accessible style ensured that the work became a favourite of educated Victorians. It is a classic of popular nineteenth-century literature.