A Companion To Medieval English Literature And Culture C.1350 - C.1500

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 connected with literary theory, love, and chivalry and war.

Peter Brown is Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Kent. His book publications include A Companion to Chaucer (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), Reading Dreams: The Interpretation of Dreams from Chaucer to Shakespeare (1999), Chaucer at Work: The Making of the Canterbury Tales (1994) and, with Andrew Butcher, The Age of Saturn: Literature and History in the Canterbury Tales (1991).

List of Illustrations.
Notes on Contributors.
Acknowledgements.
Abbreviations.
Introduction: Peter Brown (University of Kent at Canterbury).
Part I: Overviews:.
1. Critical Approaches: David Raybin (Eastern Illinois University).
2. English Society in the Later Middle Ages: Deference, Ambition and Conflict: S. H. Rigby (University of Manchester).
3. Religious Authority and Dissent: Mishtooni Bose (Christ Church, Oxford).
4. City and Country, Wealth and Labour: Sarah Rees Jones (University of York).
5. Women’s Voices and Roles: Carol M. Meale (University of Bristol).
Part II: The Production and Reception of Texts:.
6. Manuscripts and Readers: A. S. G. Edwards (De Montfort University).
7. From Manuscript to Modern Text: Julia Boffey (Queen Mary, University of London).
8. Translation and Society: Catherine Batt (University of Leeds).
Part III: Language and Literature:.
9. The Languages of Medieval Britain: Laura Wright (Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge).
10. The Forms of Speech: Donka Minkova (UCLA).
11. The Forms of Verse: Donka Minkova (UCLA).
Part IV: Encounters with Other Cultures:.
12. England and France: Ardis Butterfield (University College London).
13. Britain and Italy: Trade, Travel, Translation: Nick Havely (University of York).
14. England’s Antiquities: Middle English Literature and the Classical Past: Christopher Baswell (UCLA).
15. Jews, Saracens, ‘Black Men’, Tartars: England in a World of Racial Difference: Geraldine Heng (University of Texas at Austin).
Part V: Special Themes:.
16. War and Chivalry: Richard W. Kaeuper (University of Rochester) and Montgomery Bohna (University of Pittsburgh).
17. Literature and Law: Richard Firth Green (Ohio State University).
18. Images: Peter Brown (University of Kent at Canterbury).
19. Love: Barry Windeatt (Emmanuel College, Cambridge).
Part VI: Genres:.
20. Middle English Romance: Thomas Hahn (University of Rochester) and Dana M. Symons (Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada).
21. Writing Nation: Shaping Identity in Medieval Historical Narratives: Raluca L. Radulescu (University of Wales, Bangor).
22. Dream Poems: Helen Phillips (University of Wales, Cardiff).
23. Lyric: Rosemary Greentree (University of Adelaide).
24. Literature of Religious Instruction: E. A. Jones (University of Exeter).
25. Mystical and Devotional Literature: Denise N. Baker (University of North Carolina at Greensboro).
26. Accounts of Lives: Kathleen Ashley (University of Southern Maine).
27. Medieval English Theatre: Codes and Genres: Meg Twycross (University of Lancaster).
28. Morality and Interlude Drama: Darryll Grantley (University of Kent at Canterbury).
Part VII: Readings:.
29. York Mystery Plays: Pamela King (University of Bristol).
30. The Book of Margery Kempe: Ruth Evans (University of Stirling).
31. Julian of Norwich: Santha Bhattacharji (Keble College, Oxford).
32. Piers Plowman: Stephen Kelly (Queen’s University, Belfast).
33. Subjectivity and Ideology in the Canterbury Tales: Mark Miller (University of Chicago).
34. John Gower and John Lydgate: Forms and Norms of Rhetorical Culture: J. Allan Mitchell (University of Kent).
35. Thomas Hoccleve, La Male Regle: Nicholas Perkins (St Hugh’s College, Oxford).
36. Discipline and Relaxation in the Poetry of Robert Henryson: R. James Goldstein (Auburn University, Alabama).
37. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Kevin Gustafson (University of Texas at Arlington).
38. Blood and Love in Malory’s Morte Darthur: Catherine La Farge (National University of Ireland, Galway).
Index