Pearl

In Pearl, a grief-stricken narrator meets his baby daughter in a dream, gaining insight into the divine plan and witnessing the heavenly Jerusalem. This critical edition, with a close translation and comprehensive commentary, is a valuable guide for both specialists and general readers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 01 October 2023
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Pearl, a poignant elegy penned in the late fourteenth century, delves into the depths of grief experienced by a narrator who has lost his infant daughter. In a dream encounter, he meets her transformed into a radiant young lady, who endeavors to impart the profound significance of death within the divine plan. Through her guidance, the narrator gains a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Regarded as a masterpiece among medieval poems, Pearl stands as the most intricate of the four compositions attributed to the anonymous author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This new critical edition is meticulously crafted to provide the utmost assistance to readers of the poem. Accompanied by a meticulous translation, each of the twenty sections of the poem is accompanied by an introductory headnote and a comprehensive running commentary. A comprehensive introduction offers essential background information, encompassing manuscript and authorship, form and structure, sources and influences, style, vocabulary, and verse-form. The bibliography selects the most significant critical studies. Designed to cater to both specialist and general readers, this book serves as an indispensable guide to the profound and intricate nature of Pearl. As a replacement for E. V. Gordon's standard edition of 1953, this edition stands alone in offering a literal translation, a comprehensive literary commentary, and the culmination of the author's forty years of teaching medieval literature.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802078947