| Making the Modern Reader: Cultural Mediation in Early Modern Literary Anthologies Subjects: English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism -- Theory etc.; English literature -- Early modern 1500–1700 -- History and criticism -- Theory etc.; Literature publishing -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century; Literature publishing -; Inquiring into the formation of a literary canon during the Restoration and the eighteenth century, Barbara Benedict poses the question, "Do anthologies reflect or shape contemporary literary taste?" She finds that there was a cultural dialectic at work: miscellanies and anthologies transmitted particular tastes while in turn being influenced by the larger culture they helped to create. Benedict reveals how anthologies of the time often created a consensus of literary and aesthetic values by providing a bridge between the tastes of authors, editors, printers, booksellers, and readers. |