"A History of English Literature" by Robert Huntington Fletcher is a scholarly manual on the subject of English literature written during the late 19th century. The book aims to outline the development of English literature while providing appreciations of significant authors and works, making it a useful resource for students beyond high school age. The opening of the work establishes the author's intent to create a comprehensive and clear guide for reading and understanding English literature. Fletcher discusses the importance of considering both the external conditions that shaped literary movements and the intrinsic qualities of the literature itself. He emphasizes the dual aims of literary study: to grasp the socio-historical context of various literary periods and to appreciate the artistic expression of life and personality through literature. Notably, the text begins with the early Britons and Anglo-Saxons, highlighting their characteristics and contributions to English literature, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of England's literary heritage in subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)