Published in 1889, Gosse's study of English literature from 1660 to 1780 was commissioned by Macmillan as the third volume in a series of literary histories. It was a landmark in a relatively new field of academic study, popular and accessible, providing an enthusiastic and wide-ranging introduction to the period.
This landmark study was one of the first works of English academic literary criticism, covering the period 1660 to 1780.
