Anthology

2025-09-30T17:59:46Z

2A02:A03F:89CC:F100:60D4:7FCB:157A:F6B8:

{{Short description|Collection of creative works chosen by the compiler}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Literature}}
In [[book publishing]], an '''anthology''' is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and genre-based anthologies.<ref name=def>Chris Baldrick. [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199208272.001.0001/acref-9780199208272-e-62 ''The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms''], 3rd. ed (2008)</ref>

Complete collections of works are often called "[[The Complete Works|complete works]]" or "{{lang|la|opera omnia}}" ([[Latin]] equivalent).

==Etymology==
The word entered the English language in the 17th century, from the [[Greek language#Greek loanwords in other languages|Greek]] word, ἀνθολογία (''anthologic'', literally "a collection of blossoms", from {{lang|grc|ἄνθος}}, ''ánthos'', flower), a reference to one of the earliest known anthologies, [[Meleager of Gadara#The Garland of Meleager|the ''Garland'']] ({{lang|grc|Στέφανος}}, ''stéphanos''), the introduction to which compares each of its anthologized poets to a flower. That ''Garland'' by [[Meleager of Gadara|Meléagros of Gadara]] formed the kernel for what has become known as the [[Greek Anthology]].

''[[Florilegium]]'', a Latin derivative for a collection of flowers, was used in medieval Europe for an anthology of Latin proverbs and textual excerpts. Shortly before anthology had entered the language, English had begun using florilegium as a word for such a collection.<ref name=def/>

==Early anthologies==
[[Palatine Anthology|The Palatine Anthology]], discovered in the [[Bibliotheca Palatina|Palatine Library]], Heidelberg in 1606, is a collection of Greek poems and epigrams that was based on the lost 10th Century Byzantine collection of Constantinus Cephalas, which in turn was based on older anthologies. In The Middle Ages, European collections of ''florilegia'' became popular, bringing together extracts from various Christian and pagan philosophical texts. These evolved into [[Commonplace book|commonplace books]] and [[Miscellany|miscellanies]], including proverbs, quotes, letters, poems and prayers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burke |first=Victoria |date=2013 |title=Recent Studies in Commonplace Books. |journal=English Literary Renaissance |volume=43 |issue=1 |page=154 |doi=10.1111/1475-6757.12005 |s2cid=143219877}}</ref>

''[[Tottel's Miscellany|Songes and Sonettes]]'', usually called ''Tottel's Miscellany'', was the first printed anthology of English poetry. It was published by [[Richard Tottel]] in 1557 in London and ran to many editions in the sixteenth century.<ref>'Tottel, Richard', in ''The Dictionary of National Biography''. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900</ref> A widely read series of political anthologies, ''Poems on Affairs of State'', began its publishing run in 1689, finishing in 1707.<ref name=cb>Clare Bucknell. ''The Treasuries: Poetry Anthologies and the Making of British Culture'' (2023)</ref>

In Britain, one of the earliest national poetry anthologies to appear was ''The British Muse'' (1738), compiled by [[William Oldys]]. [[Thomas Percy (bishop of Dromore)|Thomas Percy]]'s influential ''[[Reliques of Ancient English Poetry]]'' (1765), was the first of the great ballad collections, responsible for the ballad revival in English poetry that became a significant part of the Romantic movement. [[William Enfield]]'s ''The Speaker; Or, Miscellaneous Pieces'' was published in 1774 and was a mainstay of 18th Century schoolrooms. Important nineteenth century anthologies included Palgrave's ''[[Palgrave's Golden Treasury|Golden Treasury]]'' (1861), [[Edward Arber]]'s ''Shakespeare Anthology'' (1899) and the first edition of [[Arthur Quiller-Couch|Arthur Quiller Couch]]'s [[Oxford Book of English Verse]] (1900).<ref name=cb/>

== Traditional ==
In [[East Asian]] tradition, an anthology was a recognized form of compilation of a given [[poetic form]]. It was assumed that there was a cyclic development: any particular form, say the ''[[Waka (poetry)|tanka]]'' in [[Japan]], would be introduced at one point in history, be explored by masters during a subsequent time, and finally be subject to popularisation (and a certain dilution) when it achieved widespread recognition. In this model, which derives from Chinese tradition, the object of compiling an anthology was to preserve the best of a form, and cull the rest.

In [[Malaysia]], an anthology (or ''antologi'' in [[Malay language|Malay]]) is a collection of ''syair'', ''sajak'' (or modern prose), [[prose]]s, [[drama]] scripts, and [[pantun]]s. Notable anthologies that are used in [[secondary school]]s include [[Education in Malaysia|''Sehijau Warna Daun'', ''Seuntai Kata Untuk Dirasa'', ''Anak Bumi Tercinta'', ''Anak Laut'' and ''Kerusi'']].<ref>William Katz and others. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=2OyWjxFi5lEC&q=Denes+Agay The Columbia Granger's Guide to Poetry Anthologies]'', 2nd, edition 1994</ref>

== Twentieth century ==
In the twentieth century, anthologies became an important part of poetry publishing for a number of reasons. For [[English poetry]], the [[Georgian poetry]] series <ref>{{cite web|author=James Bridges (Independent Scholar) |url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=470 |title= Bridges, James. Georgian Poetry. The Literary Encyclopedia. 31 July 2002 |publisher=Litencyc.com |date=2002-07-31 |access-date=2012-12-24}}</ref> was trend-setting; it showed the potential success of publishing an identifiable group of younger poets marked out as a 'generation'. It was followed by numerous collections from the 'stable' of some literary editor, or collated from a given publication, or labelled in some fashion as 'poems of the year'. Academic publishing also followed suit, with the continuing success of the Quiller-Couch ''Oxford Book of English Verse'' encouraging other collections not limited to modern poetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/101/ |title=Quiller-Couch, Arthur, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250 – 1900 |publisher=Bartleby.com |access-date=2012-12-24}}</ref> Not everyone approved. [[Robert Graves]] and [[Laura Riding]] published their ''Pamphlet Against Anthologies'' in 1928, arguing that they were based on commercial rather than artistic interests.<ref name=cb/>

The concept of 'modern verse' was fostered by the appearance of the phrase in titles such as the [[Faber & Faber]] anthology by [[Michael Roberts (writer)|Michael Roberts]] in 1936,<ref>[http://www.faber.co.uk/tags/genre/Faber%20Anthologies/ Faber Anthologies] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206023716/http://www.faber.co.uk/tags/genre/Faber%20Anthologies/ |date=February 6, 2009 }}</ref> and the very different [[William Butler Yeats]] [[Oxford Book of Modern Verse]] of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/y/w-b-yeats/oxford-book-of-modern-verse.htm/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104204431/http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/y/w-b-yeats/oxford-book-of-modern-verse.htm/|url-status=dead|title=Fantastic Fiction – Oxford Book of Modern Verse|archive-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> In the 1960s ''[[The Mersey Sound (anthology)|The Mersey Sound]]'' anthology of [[Liverpool poets]] became a bestseller, plugging into the countercultural attitudes of teenagers.

Since publishers generally found anthology publication a more flexible medium than the collection of a single poet's work, and indeed rang innumerable changes on the idea as a way of marketing poetry, publication in an anthology (in the right company) became at times a sought-after form of recognition for poets. The self-definition of movements, dating back at least to [[Ezra Pound]]'s efforts on behalf of [[Imagism]], could be linked on one front to the production of an anthology of the like-minded.<ref>Helen Carr. [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Verse_Revolutionaries/TWqLCfkmSaoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=H.+D.,+Ezra+Pound+and+Imagism&printsec=frontcover ''The Verse Revolutionaries: Ezra Pound, H.D. and The Imagists''] (2013)</ref>

Also, whilst not connected with poetry, publishers have produced collective works of fiction and non-fiction from a number of authors and used the term anthology to describe the collective nature of the text. These have been in a number of subjects, including ''Erotica'', edited by [[Mitzi Szereto]], and ''[[American Gothic Tales]]'' edited by [[Joyce Carol Oates]]. ''The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists'', published in 2000, anthologises four centuries of diary entries into 365 'days'.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/nov/12/biography.euanferguson ''The Assassin's Cloak'', reviewed in ''The Guardian'', 12 November 2000]</ref>

There is also the free online international anthology www.lezenswaard.be ("Worth Reading") which shows poems and prose excerpts of more than 6 000 authors mainly in 4 languages: Dutch, English, French & German, but also other languages are dealt with.

==See also==
{{portal|Poetry}}
*[[Anthology film]]
*[[Chrestomathy]]
*[[Diwan (poetry)|Diwan]]
*[[Miscellany]]
*[[Omnibus edition]]
*[[Primer (textbook)|Primer]]
*[[Edited volume]]
*[[Collection (publishing)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|Anthologies}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle= Anthology |volume= II |pages=103-106 |short= 1}}
{{works series}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anthologies| ]]
[[Category:Poetry]]
[[Category:Literary terminology]]
[[Category:Bundled products or services]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Anthology