Oliver Elton maps the making of modern imagination across half a century of British writing. The Romantic age changed everything. In this first volume of his English literature survey, the distinguished scholar traces the shift from Enlightenment reason to Romantic vision in late 18th century Britain and early 19th century England, examining how poets and prose writers reshaped language and form. At once lucid narrative and searching Romantic era literary criticism, it opens the period to both new readers and seasoned students of the classics. Elton combines close Romantic period poetry analysis with a broader study of Romantic poets in their social and intellectual contexts, revealing how ideas of nature, self, and society evolved. Side by side with this, his British Romantic novel study follows the rise of new narrative voices and readers, setting individual works against the changing landscape of nineteenth century literary culture. Written with clarity and wit, the volume functions both as a reliable academic literary criticism guide and as a supple English literature textbook, equally rewarding for private reading and formal study. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. Long valued as an English literature students reference and recognised as a British literary history classic, A Survey of English Literature, 1780-1830 (Volume I) remains an essential companion to anyone exploring the Romantic period and the enduring power of its literature.