- published: 11 Nov 2013
- views: 323669
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts. In genre fiction anthology is used to categorize collections of shorter works such as short stories and short novels, usually collected into a single volume for publication.
The word derives from the Greek word ἀνθολογία (anthologia; literally “flower-gathering”) for garland — or bouquet of flowers — which was the title of the earliest surviving anthology, assembled by Meleager of Gadara. Meleager's Garland became the seed that grew into the Greek Anthology. The term miscellany is also used, but was more common in the past. In medieval Europe the term florilegium, again meaning a collection of flowers, was used for an anthology of Latin proverbs and textual excerpts.
The complete collections of works are often called Complete Works or Opera Omnia (Latin language equivalent).
The term is also applied to radio or TV programs, movies, comic books and other such media featuring a variety of different stories. Examples of radio anthologies are Suspense and Escape. Examples of TV anthologies are Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Tales from the Darkside, Producers' Showcase, the Disney anthology television series, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Ford Star Jubilee, The Alcoa Hour, Playhouse 90, and Tales from the Crypt, which was not only an HBO series but also a movie anthology, both based on the EC horror-comic anthology. Other examples of anthology films are Four Rooms, Tales of Manhattan, Flesh and Fantasy, and The Cat o' Nine Tails.