The Invisible Genre: Towards a Definition of Literary Anthology in the Anglophone Context

Abstract

Anthology as a genre is often given short shrift in Anglophone dictionaries of literary terms. Despite the abundance of anthologies on the book market, this genre tends to be perceived as a given that does not require much explanation. The author of this article challenges such a standpoint and, taking her cue from C. Hugh Holman’s handbook definition, considers the examples he gives in order to draw conclusions about how the concept of anthology has been used throughout the time starting from Richard Tottel’s miscellany (1557) and finishing with Francis Turner Palgrave’s Golden Treasury (1861). Relying on recent research in the theory and practice of Anglophone anthology, the author discusses the main qualities of this genre from historical perspective. She traces in particular the anthology’s involvement in democratization of literature, on the one hand, and its implication in constructing literary history and cultural imperialism, on the other hand.