"Written in prose that is clear and free from the diktat of theory and criticism, A Little History of Literature is an enjoyable account of a lifelong involvement with literature."―John Vukmirovich, Times Literary Supplement "A genial, enthusiastic guide leads a jaunt through literary history. . . . [Sutherland’s] aim is not to draw a line between high art and low, but to share his prodigious joy of reading."―Kirkus Reviews "This slim book makes for a necessarily cursory review of literature’s greats ？ and the loving treatment by an expert . . . will please both novices and established readers looking to dip back into well-loved works."―Shelf Awareness "John Sutherland is among the handful of critics whose every book I must have. He's sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued, with a generous heart and a wise head."―Jay Parini

Chapter Page 1. What is Literature? 1 2. Fabulous Beginnings: Myth 7 3. Writing for Nations: Epic 13 4. Being Human: Tragedy 20 5. English Tales: Chaucer 26 6. Theatre on the Street: The Mystery Plays 33 7. The Bard: Shakespeare 40 8. The Book of Books: The King James Bible 47 9. Minds Unchained: The Metaphysicals 54 10. Nations Rise: Milton and Spenser 61 11. Who 'Owns' Literature?: Printing, Publishing and Copyright 68 12. The House of Fiction 75 13. Travellers 'Tall Tales: Defoe, Swift and the Rise of the Novel 82 14. How to Read: Dr Johnson 88 15. Romantic Revolutionaries 94 16. The Sharpest Mind: Austen 101 17. Books for You: The Changing Reading Public 108 18. The Giant: Dickens 114 19. Life in Literature: The Brontës 121 20. Under the Blankets: Literature and Children 128 21. Flowers of Decadence: Wilde, Baudelaire, Proust and Whitman 134 22. Poets Laureate: Tennyson 141 23. New Lands: America and the American Voice 147 24. The Great Pessimist: Hardy 154 25. Dangerous Books: Literature and the Censor 161 26. Empire: Kipling, Conrad and Forster 168 27. Doomed Anthems: The War Poets 175 28. The Year that Changed Everything: 1922 and the Modernists 182 29. A Literature of Her Own: Woolf 188 30. Brave New Worlds: Utopias and Dystopias 195 31. Boxes of Tricks: Complex Narratives 202 32. Off the Page: Literature on Film, TV and the Stage 208 33. Absurd Existences: Kafka, Camus, Beckett and Pinter 214 34. The Poetry of Breakdown: Lowell, Plath, Larkin and Hughes 221 35. Colourful Cultures: Literature and Race 228 36. Magical Realisms: Borges, Grass, Rushdie and Márquez 235 37. Republic of Letters: Literature Without Borders 241 38. Guilty Pleasures: Bestsellers and Potboilers 248 39. Who's Best?: Prizes, Festivals and Reading Groups 254 40. Literature in Your Lifetime… and Beyond 260 Index 267