A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture, c.1350 - c.1500 (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

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. A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture C.1350–C.1500......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 List of Illustrations......Page 11 Notes on Contributors......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 17 Abbreviations......Page 18 Introduction......Page 21 PART I Overviews......Page 27 1. Critical Approaches......Page 29 2. English Society in the Later Middle Ages: Deference, Ambition and Conflict......Page 45 3. Religious Authority and Dissent......Page 60 4. City and Country, Wealth and Labour......Page 76 5. Women's Voices and Roles......Page 94 PART II The Production and Reception of Texts......Page 111 6. Manuscripts and Readers......Page 113 7. From Manuscript to Modern Text......Page 127 8. Translation and Society......Page 143 PART III Language and Literature......Page 161 9. The Languages of Medieval Britain......Page 163 10. The Forms of Speech......Page 179 11. The Forms of Verse......Page 196 PART IV Encounters with Other Cultures......Page 217 12. England and France......Page 219 13. Britain and Italy: Trade, Travel, Translation......Page 235 14. England's Antiquities: Middle English Literature and the Classical Past......Page 251 15. Jews, Saracens, 'Black Men', Tartars: England in a World of Racial Difference......Page 267 PART V Special Themes......Page 291 16. War and Chivalry......Page 293 17. Literature and Law......Page 312 18. Images......Page 327 19. Love......Page 342 PART VI Genres......Page 359 20. Middle English Romance......Page 361 21. Writing Nation: Shaping Identity in Medieval Historical Narratives......Page 378 22. Dream Poems......Page 394 23. Lyric......Page 407 24. Literature of Religious Instruction......Page 426 25. Mystical and Devotional Literature......Page 443 26. Accounts of Lives......Page 457 27. Medieval English Theatre: Codes and Genres......Page 474 28. Morality and Interlude Drama......Page 493 PART VII Readings......Page 509 29. York Mystery Plays......Page 511 30. The Book of Margery Kempe......Page 527 31. Julian of Norwich......Page 542 32. Piers Plowman......Page 557 33. Subjectivity and Ideology in the Canterbury Tales......Page 574 34. John Gower and John Lydgate: Forms and Norms of Rhetorical Culture......Page 589 35. Thomas Hoccleve, La Male Regle......Page 605 36. Discipline and Relaxation in the Poetry of Robert Henryson......Page 624 37. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight......Page 639 38. Blood and Love in Malory's Morte Darthur......Page 654 Index......Page 669 __A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500__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. This companion challenges readers to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries in a number of important ways. Firstly, the companion's date range reflects the erosion of the traditional, rigid boundary between medieval and early modern literature. Secondly, the structure of the book stresses the importance of constructing contexts for reading literature. Thirdly, the companion explores the extent to which medieval literature is in dialogue with other cultural products, including the literature of other countries, manuscripts and religion