Becoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions

In Becoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions, readers explore the life and work of the fourteenth-century writer, focusing on literary analyses, authorship, ecology, material culture, sartorial adornment, shields, pastoral theology, illustrations, cultural situatedness, religious contexts, later translations, and medieval and modern audiences. It encourages readers to gain a deeper understanding of the poet and his world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

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 England—and 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 offer 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 poet's pastoral theology. In Part III, "Receptions," scholars consider the illustrations of the Pearl Manuscript (British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x), the poet's 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.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793646750