Becoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Who is the Pearl-poet How do ideas about his life and interpretations of his poems shape our understanding of his work in late-medieval Englandand beyond In Becoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions, readers can explore the world of this extraordinary, fourteenth-century writer. In Part I, Perceptions, five scholars give insightful literary analyses of the narrative poems attributed to the poet: Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and St. Erkenwald. In Part II, Connections, six scholars examine connections between these diverse poems, focusing on authorship, ecology, material culture, sartorial adornment, shields, and the poets pastoral theology. In Part III, Receptions, scholars consider the illustrations of the Pearl Manuscript (British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x), the poets cultural situatedness in the Northwest Midlands and Ricardian court, his religious contexts, later translations and paraphrases of his work, and his medieval and modern audiences. Intended for students and scholars alike, this book encourages readers to gain a deeper understanding of the Pearl-poet and his world, learning many new things and enjoying old things in a new way.

Reviews

Year by year, my students love the Pearl-Poet more and more. This is the volume I have been waiting to give them. The essays address the issues that come up in discussion every semester, with fresh perspectives and updated scholarship.

Author Bio

Jane Beal is professor of English literature and the chair of English department at the University of La Verne in southern California.