The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English (Oxford Handbooks in Literature)

The study of medieval literature has experienced a revolution in the last two decades, which has reinvigorated many parts of the discipline and changed the shape of the subject in relation to the scholarship of the previous generation. 'New' texts (laws and penitentials, women's writing, drama records), innovative fields and objects of study (the history of the book, the study of space and the body, medieval masculinities), and original ways of studying them (the Sociology of the Text, performance studies) have emerged. This has brought fresh vigour and impetus to medieval studies, and impacted significantly on cognate periods and areas. The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English brings together the insights of these new fields and approaches with those of more familiar texts and methods of study, to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of medieval literature today. It also returns to first principles in posing fundamental questions about the nature, scope, and significance of the discipline, and the directions that it might take in the next decade.The Handbook contains 35 newly commissioned essays from both world-leading scholars and exciting new scholarly voices. Topics covered range from the canonical genres of Saints' lives, sermons, romance, lyric poetry, and heroic poetry; major themes including monstrosity and marginality, patronage and literary politics, manuscript studies and vernacularity are investigated; and there are close readings of key texts, such as Beowulf, Wulf and Eadwacer, and Ancrene Wisse and key authors from AElfric to Geoffrey Chaucer, Langland, and the Gawain Poet. Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 12 List of Contributors......Page 13 PROLOGUE: Speaking of the Medieval......Page 16 PART I: LITERARY PRODUCTION......Page 30 1. Books and Manuscripts......Page 32 2. Textual Copying and Transmission......Page 48 3. The Professionalization of Writing......Page 72 4. Writing, Authority, and Bureaucracy......Page 83 5. The Impact of Print: The Perceived Worth of the Printed Book in England, 1476–1575......Page 105 PART II: LITERARY CONSUMPTION......Page 124 6. Literature and the Cultural Elites......Page 126 7. The Verse of Heroes......Page 148 8. Insular Romance......Page 175 9. A York Primer and its Alphabet: Reading Women in a Lay Household......Page 196 10. Performing Communities: Civic Religious Drama......Page 215 PART III: LITERATURE, CLERICAL AND LAY......Page 234 11. Change and Continuity: The English Sermon before 1250......Page 236 12. Authorizing Female Piety......Page 255 13. Visions and Visionaries......Page 271 14. Writing, Heresy, and the Anticlerical Muse......Page 291 15. Acquiring Wisdom: Teaching Texts and the Lore of the People......Page 312 PART IV: LITERARY REALITIES......Page 334 16. The Yorkshire Partisans and the Literature of Popular Discontent......Page 336 17. The Gothic Turn and the Twelfth-Century English Chronicles......Page 368 18. Anti-Social Reform: Writing Rebellion......Page 385 19. Secular Medieval Drama......Page 399 20. ‘Sweit Rois . . . Delytsum Lyllie’: Metaphorical and Real Flowers in Medieval Verse......Page 410 PART V: COMPLEX IDENTITIES......Page 426 21. Authority, Constraint, and the Writing of the Medieval Self......Page 428 22. Complex Identities: Selves and Others......Page 449 23. The Chosen People: Spiritual Identities......Page 472 24. Individuality......Page 493 25. Emergent Englishness......Page 511 PART VI: LITERARY PLACE, SPACE, AND TIME......Page 528 26. Regions and Communities......Page 530 27. The City and the Text: London Literature......Page 555 28. Reading Communities......Page 572 29. Scottish Writing......Page 589 30. Places of the Imagination: The Gawain-Poet......Page 609 PART VII: LITERARY JOURNEYS......Page 624 31. Pilgrimages, Travel Writing, and the Medieval Exotic......Page 626 32. ‘Britain’: Originary Myths and the Stories of Peoples......Page 644 33. Maps and Margins: Other Lands, Other Peoples......Page 664 34. Monsters and the Exotic in Medieval England......Page 692 35. Spiritual Quest and Social Space: Texts of Hard Travel for God on Earth and in the Heart......Page 722 EPILOGUE: When did ‘the Medieval’ End? Retrospection, Foresight, and the End(s) of the English Middle Ages......Page 740 L......Page 754 O......Page 755 Y......Page 756 A......Page 757 B......Page 759 C......Page 762 D......Page 765 E......Page 766 F......Page 767 G......Page 768 H......Page 770 J......Page 772 K......Page 773 L......Page 774 M......Page 775 O......Page 778 P......Page 779 R......Page 781 S......Page 782 T......Page 785 W......Page 787 Z......Page 789 The study of medieval literature has experienced a revolution in the last two decades, which has reinvigorated many parts of the discipline and changed the shape of the subject in relation to the scholarship of the previous generation. 'New' texts (laws and penitentials, women's writing, drama records), innovative fields and objects of study (the history of the book, the study of space and the body, medieval masculinities), and original ways of studying them (the Sociology of the Text, performance studies) have emerged. This has brought fresh vigour and impetus to medieval studies, and impacted significantly on cognate periods and areas. The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English brings together the insights of these new fields and approaches with those of more familiar texts and methods of study, to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of medieval literature today. It also returns to first principles in posing fundamental questions about the nature, scope, and significance of the discipline, and the directions that it might take in the next decade. The Handbook contains 44 newly commissioned essays from both world-leading scholars and exciting new scholarly voices. Topics covered range from the canonical genres of Saints' lives, sermons, romance, lyric poetry, and heroic poetry; major themes including monstrosity and marginality, patronage and literary politics, manuscript studies and vernacularity are investigated; and there are close readings of key texts, such as Beowulf , Wulf and Eadwacer , and Ancrene Wisse and key authors from AElfric to Geoffrey Chaucer, Langland, and the Gawain Poet. The study of medieval literature has experienced a revolution in the last two decades, which has reinvigorated many parts of the discipline and changed the shape of the subject in relation to the scholarship of the previous generation.'New'texts (laws and penitentials, women's writing, drama records), innovative fields and objects of study (the history of the book, the study of space and the body, medieval masculinities), and original ways of studying them (the Sociology of the Text, performance studies) have emerged. This has brought fresh vigour and impetus to medieval studies, and impacted significantly on cognate periods and areas. The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English brings together the insights of these new fields and approaches with those of more familiar texts and methods of study, to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of medieval literature today. It also returns to first principles in posing fundamental questions about the nature, scope, and significance of the discipline, and the directions that it might take in the next decade. The Handbook contains 44 newly commissioned essays from both world-leading scholars and exciting new scholarly voices. Topics covered range from the canonical genres of Saints'lives, sermons, romance, lyric poetry, and heroic poetry; major themes including monstrosity and marginality, patronage and literary politics, manuscript studies and vernacularity are investigated; and there are close readings of key texts, such as Beowulf, Wulf and Eadwacer, and Ancrene Wisse and key authors from Ælfric to Geoffrey Chaucer, Langland, and the Gawain Poet. The Study Of Medieval Literature Has Experienced A Revolution In The Last Two Decades, Which Has Reinvigorated Many Parts Of The Discipline And Changed The Shape Of The Subject In Relation To The Scholarship Of The Previous Generation. 'new' Texts (laws And Penitentials, Women's Writing, Drama Records), Innovative Fields And Objects Of Study (the History Of The Book, The Study Of Space And The Body, Medieval Masculinities), And Original Ways Of Studying Them (the Sociology Of The Text, Performance Studies) Have Emerged. This Has Brought Fresh Vigour And Impetus To Medieval Studies, And Impacted Significantly On Cognate Periods And Areas. The Oxford Handbook Of Medieval Literature In English Brings Together The Insights Of These New Fields And Approaches With Those Of More Familiar Texts And Methods Of Study, To Provide A Comprehensive Overview Of The State Of Medieval Literature Today. It Also Returns To First Principles In Posing Fundamental Questions About The Nature, Scope, And Significance Of The Discipline, And The Directions That It Might Take In The Next Decade. Edited By Elaine Treharne And Greg Walker With The Assistance Of William Green. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.