Thinking-Training

A classic, reimagined.

Read by millions of students over seven editions, The Norton Anthology of Western Literature remains the most trusted undergraduate survey of Western literature available and one of the most successful college texts ever published.

An incomparable resource, an unmatched value

Nine years ago, W. W. Norton changed the way world literature is taught by introducing The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Expanded Edition.

A collection of writings, including prose, fiction, poetry, essays, and non-fiction, from influential Western writers from the seventeenth century to the present.

The gold standard anthology for anyone who wants to understand the development and current state of literary theory. Offering 191 pieces by 157 authors, The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, Third Edition, is more comprehensive and more varied in its selection than any other anthology. Forty-eight NEW selections—concentrated mostly on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—make the book not only the best overview of the history of theory, but also a remarkably up-to-date portrait of the state of theory today.

The most-trusted and most-respected text in its field is now brand-new in all the best ways.

The Fifth Edition retains the flexibility and breadth of selection that has defined this classic anthology, while improved and expanded editorial apparatus make it an even more useful teaching tool.

A completely new editorial team, dozens of new selections and translations, all-new introductions and headnotes, hundreds of illustrations, redesigned maps and timelines, and a completely revamped media program all add up to the most exciting, accessible, and teachable version of "the Norton" ever published.