Description
Book SynopsisThis monograph is a study of words and expressions of emotion found in Old and Middle English texts. Lexical variety, rivalry among synonyms, both native and non-native, and their successive replacement are discussed illustrated with a large number of examples. «Impersonal» and reflexive constructions, which give peculiar features to medieval texts, are examined, focusing on basic verbs of emotion. Words found in the
Seven Deadly Sins and the contrasting use of the genitive and the
of-phrase in
God’s love and
the love of God are treated as typical medieval themes. Appendices are added to illustrate the variant forms of these words and expressions in the versions of the Gospels and the Psalter, together with formulaic expressions of emotion in Old English poetry.
Table of ContentsContents: Lexical Variety and Supersession – Synonyms in Some Semantic Fields of Emotion – God’s Love and the Seven Deadly Sins – «Impersonal» and Reflexive Constructions.
