Life in Words
Essays on Chaucer, the Gawain-Poet, and Malory
Published on 21. October 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-1-4875-2839-3 (ISBN)
Description
This volume collects fifteen landmark essays published over the last three decades by the distinguished medievalist Jill Mann. Bringing together her essays on Chaucer, the Gawain-poet, and Malory, the collection foregrounds the common interest in the semantic implications of key vocabulary such as "authority," "adventure," and "price" that links them together.
Mann, one of the finest critics of Middle English literature in her generation, uses the concepts suggested by the language of medieval literature itself as a way into the masterpieces of Middle English, including The Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Morte Darthur.
An extended introduction by Mark Rasmussen brings out the nature of the themes that run through the collection, analyses the critical methods in play, and assesses their significance in the context of Middle English studies over the last thirty years.
Mann, one of the finest critics of Middle English literature in her generation, uses the concepts suggested by the language of medieval literature itself as a way into the masterpieces of Middle English, including The Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Morte Darthur.
An extended introduction by Mark Rasmussen brings out the nature of the themes that run through the collection, analyses the critical methods in play, and assesses their significance in the context of Middle English studies over the last thirty years.
Reviews / Votes
'Life in Words is a well-rounded look into Jill Mann's catalogue... It provides unique and novel arguments to century-old discussions.'- Caitlin Santavenere (Comitatus vol 47:2016) 'Each essay testifies to Mann's incomparable close reading skills and enviable erudition, reflecting a careful attention to French and Latin sources over a lifetime of thinking about medieval English literature and language.'
- T.S. Miller (Sixteenth Century Journal vol 46:03:2015)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
585 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-2839-3 (9781487528393)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jill Mann is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame and a Life Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge.
Mark David Rasmussen is Charles J. Luellen Professor of English at Centre College.
Mark David Rasmussen is Charles J. Luellen Professor of English at Centre College.
Content
Author's Preface
A Note on References
List of Essays, with Places of Original Publication
Editor's Introduction, "Jill Mann's Patience"
1. Troilus's Swoon
2. Shakespeare and Chaucer: "What is Criseyde Worth?"
3. Chance and Destiny in Troilus and Criseyde and the Knight's Tale
4. Chaucerian Themes and Style in the Franklin's Tale
5. Anger and "Glosynge" in the Canterbury Tales
6. The Authority of the Audience in Chaucer
7. Parents and Children in the Canterbury Tales
8. Satisfaction and Payment in Middle English Literature
9. Price and Value in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
10. Courtly Aesthetics and Courtly Ethics in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
11. Sir Gawain and the Romance Hero
12. Knightly Combat in Malory's Morte Darthur
13. "Taking the Adventure": Malory and the Suite du Merlin
14. The Narrative of Distance, The Distance of Narrative in Malory's Morte Darthur
15. Malory and the Grail Legend
Bibliography
Index
A Note on References
List of Essays, with Places of Original Publication
Editor's Introduction, "Jill Mann's Patience"
1. Troilus's Swoon
2. Shakespeare and Chaucer: "What is Criseyde Worth?"
3. Chance and Destiny in Troilus and Criseyde and the Knight's Tale
4. Chaucerian Themes and Style in the Franklin's Tale
5. Anger and "Glosynge" in the Canterbury Tales
6. The Authority of the Audience in Chaucer
7. Parents and Children in the Canterbury Tales
8. Satisfaction and Payment in Middle English Literature
9. Price and Value in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
10. Courtly Aesthetics and Courtly Ethics in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
11. Sir Gawain and the Romance Hero
12. Knightly Combat in Malory's Morte Darthur
13. "Taking the Adventure": Malory and the Suite du Merlin
14. The Narrative of Distance, The Distance of Narrative in Malory's Morte Darthur
15. Malory and the Grail Legend
Bibliography
Index