Chapter and Verse: A Readers History of English Literature
Presents a personal and thematic journey through English literature from Chaucer to the present
Chapter and Verse: A Reader's History of English Literature offers a compelling reimagining of literary history—one that places the reader's experience at the heart of the narrative. Unlike traditional surveys of English literature that prioritize chronology and critical consensus, Peter Brown's approach emphasizes the subjective, evolving relationship between reader and text. This unique perspective addresses a long-standing gap in the field, emphasizing the emotional and intellectual engagements that shape how literature is received, remembered, and reinterpreted across a lifetime.
Structured around thematic chapters—such as “Performance,” “Fragments,” and “Home”— Chapter and Verse spans the medieval to the contemporary, exploring Chaucer, Shakespeare, Eliot, and other canonical figures alongside neglected or overlooked authors such as Charlotte Dacre and Abdulrazak Gurnah. Each chapter blends literary analysis with personal narrative, beginning with formative reading experiences and culminating in a scholarly vantage point honed over decades of teaching. The result is both intimate and instructive, offering detailed engagements with texts and authors contextualized within broader literary movements.
Uniquely integrating personal memoir with a thematic and chronological overview of English literature, Chapter and Verse:
- Explores literature's emotional and transformative power through lived reading experiences
- Reflects decades of university-level teaching across the full span of English literary history
- Provides accessible entry points into complex literary periods through thematic framing
- Includes notes and recommended readings at the end of each chapter to encourage further exploration
- Offers a fresh pedagogical approach that highlights how personal engagement can enhance critical analysis
Chapter and Verse: A Reader's History of English Literature is a must-read for advanced secondary students, undergraduates, and postgraduates studying English literature, as well as general readers seeking a more personal connection to the history of English literature.
Peter Brown is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Kent and former Academic Director of its Paris School of Arts and Culture. A Fulbright Scholar and founding editor-in-chief of Literature Compass, he also serves as general editor of the Blackwell Histories of Literature series. His teaching portfolio spans the full breadth of English literary history in both the UK and the US.