I understand that giving your students a varied taste of genre or period of literature is important; however, I do not believe that Norton Anthologies are the end-all, be-all of literary collections. They tend to choose the tried and true pieces of each era, good for introductory courses, but where is the representation of the radical, the innovator, the minority in many of these anthologies?
As an upper-level English student, I feel I'm ready to take on not just Dickinson, Whitman, Eliot, or Mallory, but the more obscure authors whom you refer to constantly without regard as to whether we students have read them.
I guess, what I'm trying to say is: Give our wallets, our back, and our minds a break and find a new anthology. Maybe even one online--maybe not, I can hear your gasps of horror from here...
Sincerely,
Allen Ginsberg
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