The centuries between 1100 and 1500 were the crucible in which English language and literature, after the blow of the Norman Conquest, were reformed with results that affected all later times. The national language and literary culture were reconstructed influences. The medieval centuries present a fascinating success story of recovery, inventiveness and major achievement in all aspects of national life.In literature, lyric verse, narrative poetry, drama and discursive prose were all established in characteristic modes. In the present book many works are discussed, while such masterpieces as the works of Chaucer, Langland's Piers Plowman, the poems of the Gawain-poet and Malory's Morte Darthur are shown as the secular equivalent in words of the great medieval Gothic cathedrals. The forms of this varied body of literature had as characteristic a period style as contemporary Gothic art and architecture themselves. English literature may equally be described as Gothic, with assumptions and achievements which both lead to and contrast with later Neoclassical styles. Black and white photographic illustrations further the comparison and suggest some background.English Gothic literature derives from many interrelated social context - court, town, monastery and countryside. It was recorded in manuscripts that blend the qualities of popular speech and folktale with some of the more impersonal regular qualities of printing, that last of fundamental medieval inventions. In this new concept of the history of medieval literature, Derek Brewer illuminates the major literary works with detailed exposition to make them available to the reader coming fresh to them. At the same time he places them in the context of developing literacy and individualism, secular realism, romantic love, personal religion, etc., setting forth a coherent framework of cultural history which will challenge the interest of those who already know the period.

English Gothic Literature (Macmillan History of Literature, 3)

Literature & Fiction

Brewer, Derek

British & Irish

Red Globe Press

Tradition & Innovation in Chaucer

History & Criticism

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

Chaucer and his world

A distinguished Chaucerian scholar traces the stages of Chaucer's varied career within the contexts of the physical environment and intellectual climate in which he lived, visually presenting this world through illustrations and photographs

Chaucer and His World

Dodd, Mead

Chaucer's tales, rich in comedy and pathos, have an immediate appeal; they draw freely and vividly from the romance and colour of the times in which he lived, and his world that of the second half of the 14th century is rich in cultural interest. It was a time of new exploration and new individualism, of peasant revolt and passionate religious dissent, and of a remarkable flowering of the arts. Chaucer lived at thevery centre of the action, and this book follows the stages of his career, illuminating with reference to the art and architecture of the time and through reference to his writings, the physical environment and intellectual climate in which he lived. Reissue: first published 1978.

EYRE METHUEN

First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Critical Heritage Volume 1 1385-1837 (The Collected Critical Heritage : Medieval Romance)

Routledge

First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &amp; Francis, an informa company.

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Critical Heritage Volume 2 1837-1933 (The Collected Critical Heritage : Medieval Romance)

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Critical Heritage Volume 1 1385-1837

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Critical Heritage Volume II 1837-1933 (The Critical Heritage Series, 2)

Reference

This book explains the underlying structure of many narratives from ancient to modern times. After a short theoretical introduction, there follows chapters on fairy tales, medieval romance, Shakespeare, "Mansfield park" and "Great expectations", with reference to many other stories. The underlying structures of many narratives are shown to be based on the struggle towards maturity of the young hero or heroine who represents us all. Modern naturalism, however, often distorts the reception of these stories which are then dismissed as absurd, escapist or trivial. This work aims to clarify the intentions and methods of these stories, thus enabling them to be further understood and enjoyed.

Symbolic Stories

Classics

Addison-Wesley Longman Ltd

Chaucer

Biographies & Memoirs

Longman Publishing Group

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