Description

Book Synopsis
A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500 challenges readers to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.

A ground-breaking collection of newly-commissioned essays on medieval literature and culture.

  • Encourages students to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.
  • Reflects the erosion of the traditional, rigid boundary between medieval and early modern literature.
  • Stresses the importance of constructing contexts for reading literature.
  • Explores the extent to which medieval literature is in dialogue with other cultural products, including the literature of other countries, manuscripts and religion.
  • Includes close readings of frequently-studied texts, including texts by Chaucer, Langland, the Gawain poet, and Hoccleve.
  • Confronts some of the controversies that exercise students of medieval literature, such as those con

    Trade Review
    "Overall, this book, another one of Peter Brown's Herculean labors, is a true gift to medieval scholarship. A compendium of useful information and bibliographic references, it will be useful to a wide variety of medieval-ists, whether undergraduates, graduates, faculty, or independent scholars, formany years to come." (Modern Philology, 2 November 2011)

    "A very solid introduction to the scansion of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century verse is published in the new volume of Wiley-Blackwell's Companion series: A Companion to Medieval Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500, edited by Peter Brown." (Ywes, 28 August 2011)

    “These thorough, engaging essays decertify many canonical certainties … Highly Recommended.” CHOICE

    “Another grand project that combines breadth and depth … A highly eminent collection of thirty-eight contributions ranges over a variety of topics.”
    Medium Aevum

    "There is plenty here for everybody, and all of it written in a way accessible to the general reader as well as to the student, or fellow specialist."
    Reference Reviews



    Table of Contents
    List of Illustrations ix

    Notes on Contributors x

    Acknowledgements xv

    Abbreviations xvi

    Introduction 1

    PART I Overviews 7

    1. Critical Approaches 9
    David Raybin

    2. English Society in the Later Middle Ages: Deference, Ambition and Conflict 25
    S. H. Rigby

    3. Religious Authority and Dissent 40
    Mishtooni Bose

    4. City and Country, Wealth and Labour 56
    Sarah Rees Jones

    5. Women's Voices and Roles 74
    Carol M. Meale

    PART II The Production and Reception of Texts 91

    6. Manuscripts and Readers 93
    A. S. G. Edwards

    7. From Manuscript to Modern Text 107
    Julia Boffey

    8. Translation and Society 123
    Catherine Batt

    PART III Language and Literature 141

    9. The Languages of Medieval Britain 143
    Laura Wright

    10. The Forms of Speech 159
    Donka Minkova

    11. The Forms of Verse 176
    Donka Minkova

    PART IV Encounters with Other Cultures 197

    12. England and France 199
    Ardis Butterfi eld

    13. Britain and Italy: Trade, Travel, Translation 215
    Nick Havely

    14. England's Antiquities: Middle English Literature and the Classical Past 231
    Christopher Baswell

    15. Jews, Saracens, 'Black Men', Tartars: England in a World of Racial Difference 247
    Geraldine Heng

    PART V Special Themes 271

    16. War and Chivalry 273
    Richard W. Kaeuper and Montgomery Bohna

    17. Literature and Law 292
    Richard Firth Green

    18. Images 307
    Peter Brown

    19. Love 322
    Barry Windeatt

    PART VI Genres 339

    20. Middle English Romance 341
    Thomas Hahn and Dana M. Symons

    21. Writing Nation: Shaping Identity in Medieval Historical Narratives 358
    Raluca L. Radulescu

    22. Dream Poems 374
    Helen Phillips

    23. Lyric 387
    Rosemary Greentree

    24. Literature of Religious Instruction 406
    E. A. Jones

    25. Mystical and Devotional Literature 423
    Denise N. Baker

    26. Accounts of Lives 437
    Kathleen Ashley

    27. Medieval English Theatre: Codes and Genres 454
    Meg Twycross

    28. Morality and Interlude Drama 473
    Darryll Grantley

    PART VII Readings 489

    29. York Mystery Plays 491
    Pamela King

    30. The Book of Margery Kempe 507
    Ruth Evans

    31. Julian of Norwich 522
    Santha Bhattacharji

    32. Piers Plowman 537
    Stephen Kelly

    33. Subjectivity and Ideology in the Canterbury Tales 554
    Mark Miller

    34. John Gower and John Lydgate: Forms and Norms of Rhetorical Culture 569
    J. Allan Mitchell

    35. Thomas Hoccleve, La Male Regle 585
    Nicholas Perkins

    36. Discipline and Relaxation in the Poetry of Robert Henryson 604
    R. James Goldstein

    37. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 619
    Kevin Gustafson

    38. Blood and Love in Malory's Morte Darthur 634
    Catherine La Farge

    Index 649

A Companion to Medieval English Literature and

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    A Hardback by Peter Brown

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      Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 18/12/2006
      ISBN13: 9780631219736, 978-0631219736
      ISBN10: 0631219730
      Also in:
      Literary studies: ancient, classical

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500 challenges readers to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.

      A ground-breaking collection of newly-commissioned essays on medieval literature and culture.

      • Encourages students to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.
      • Reflects the erosion of the traditional, rigid boundary between medieval and early modern literature.
      • Stresses the importance of constructing contexts for reading literature.
      • Explores the extent to which medieval literature is in dialogue with other cultural products, including the literature of other countries, manuscripts and religion.
      • Includes close readings of frequently-studied texts, including texts by Chaucer, Langland, the Gawain poet, and Hoccleve.
      • Confronts some of the controversies that exercise students of medieval literature, such as those con

        Trade Review
        "Overall, this book, another one of Peter Brown's Herculean labors, is a true gift to medieval scholarship. A compendium of useful information and bibliographic references, it will be useful to a wide variety of medieval-ists, whether undergraduates, graduates, faculty, or independent scholars, formany years to come." (Modern Philology, 2 November 2011)

        "A very solid introduction to the scansion of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century verse is published in the new volume of Wiley-Blackwell's Companion series: A Companion to Medieval Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500, edited by Peter Brown." (Ywes, 28 August 2011)

        “These thorough, engaging essays decertify many canonical certainties … Highly Recommended.” CHOICE

        “Another grand project that combines breadth and depth … A highly eminent collection of thirty-eight contributions ranges over a variety of topics.”
        Medium Aevum

        "There is plenty here for everybody, and all of it written in a way accessible to the general reader as well as to the student, or fellow specialist."
        Reference Reviews



        Table of Contents
        List of Illustrations ix

        Notes on Contributors x

        Acknowledgements xv

        Abbreviations xvi

        Introduction 1

        PART I Overviews 7

        1. Critical Approaches 9
        David Raybin

        2. English Society in the Later Middle Ages: Deference, Ambition and Conflict 25
        S. H. Rigby

        3. Religious Authority and Dissent 40
        Mishtooni Bose

        4. City and Country, Wealth and Labour 56
        Sarah Rees Jones

        5. Women's Voices and Roles 74
        Carol M. Meale

        PART II The Production and Reception of Texts 91

        6. Manuscripts and Readers 93
        A. S. G. Edwards

        7. From Manuscript to Modern Text 107
        Julia Boffey

        8. Translation and Society 123
        Catherine Batt

        PART III Language and Literature 141

        9. The Languages of Medieval Britain 143
        Laura Wright

        10. The Forms of Speech 159
        Donka Minkova

        11. The Forms of Verse 176
        Donka Minkova

        PART IV Encounters with Other Cultures 197

        12. England and France 199
        Ardis Butterfi eld

        13. Britain and Italy: Trade, Travel, Translation 215
        Nick Havely

        14. England's Antiquities: Middle English Literature and the Classical Past 231
        Christopher Baswell

        15. Jews, Saracens, 'Black Men', Tartars: England in a World of Racial Difference 247
        Geraldine Heng

        PART V Special Themes 271

        16. War and Chivalry 273
        Richard W. Kaeuper and Montgomery Bohna

        17. Literature and Law 292
        Richard Firth Green

        18. Images 307
        Peter Brown

        19. Love 322
        Barry Windeatt

        PART VI Genres 339

        20. Middle English Romance 341
        Thomas Hahn and Dana M. Symons

        21. Writing Nation: Shaping Identity in Medieval Historical Narratives 358
        Raluca L. Radulescu

        22. Dream Poems 374
        Helen Phillips

        23. Lyric 387
        Rosemary Greentree

        24. Literature of Religious Instruction 406
        E. A. Jones

        25. Mystical and Devotional Literature 423
        Denise N. Baker

        26. Accounts of Lives 437
        Kathleen Ashley

        27. Medieval English Theatre: Codes and Genres 454
        Meg Twycross

        28. Morality and Interlude Drama 473
        Darryll Grantley

        PART VII Readings 489

        29. York Mystery Plays 491
        Pamela King

        30. The Book of Margery Kempe 507
        Ruth Evans

        31. Julian of Norwich 522
        Santha Bhattacharji

        32. Piers Plowman 537
        Stephen Kelly

        33. Subjectivity and Ideology in the Canterbury Tales 554
        Mark Miller

        34. John Gower and John Lydgate: Forms and Norms of Rhetorical Culture 569
        J. Allan Mitchell

        35. Thomas Hoccleve, La Male Regle 585
        Nicholas Perkins

        36. Discipline and Relaxation in the Poetry of Robert Henryson 604
        R. James Goldstein

        37. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 619
        Kevin Gustafson

        38. Blood and Love in Malory's Morte Darthur 634
        Catherine La Farge

        Index 649

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