Reading Middle English Literature - Paperback

by Thorlac Turville-Petre (Author)

This introduction provides the guidance that modern readers need to come to an informed appreciation of the writings of medieval England.

• An introduction to English literature written in the four centuries following the Norman Conquest.
  
• Written by the well-known medievalist, Thorlac Turville-Petre.
  
• Demonstrates that Middle English literature is more accessible than is often supposed.
  
• Provides readers with the guidance they need to come to an informed appreciation of the writings of medieval England.
  
• Designed to be used alongside A Book of Middle English, (Third Edition, Blackwell Publishing, 2005).

Back Jacket

Reading Middle English Literature is a study of English literature written in the four centuries following the Norman Conquest. Written by the well-known medievalist Thorlac Turville-Petre, it demonstrates that Middle English literature is much more accessible than is often supposed and provides the guidance that modern readers need to come to an informed appreciation of the writings of medieval England.

The book focuses on the representative selection of texts in A Book of Middle English (Third Edition, Blackwell, 2005), ensuring that readers have easy access to the primary material under discussion. It offers new and detailed readings of these texts in light of attitudes to the language, the means of book-production, the society for which the texts were written, concepts of history and romance, the religious practices of the age, and ideals of love and marriage.

Author Biography

Thorlac Turville-Petre is Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Nottingham. His previous publications include England the Nation (1996) and (with J. A. Burrow) A Book of Middle English (Third Edition, Blackwell, 2005).