A stylistic and historical study of one of the most celebrated features of Middle English alliterative poetry, the passages of vivid description. The study explores the narrative function of such descriptions, and the models for the poets' descriptive techniques.
Focusing on the rich literature of England from 1150 to 1400, this Middle English textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the historical context, grammar, syntax, and pronunciation of the language. It features key texts, including a new extract from Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love, accompanied by insightful notes. The fourth edition incorporates adopter feedback, introducing a model translation section with exercises for classroom use, and updates throughout, along with a foreword honoring J. A. Burrow.
An introduction to the wide range of literature written in England between 1150 and 1400. The first part describes the language of the time to enable the reader to achieve a proper understanding of the literature introduced in the second part.