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The Oxford history of poetry in English. Volume 2, Medieval poetry, 1100-1400

Available as: Physical
Summary: "The second volume in The Oxford History of Poetry in English (OHOPE) occupies both a foundational and a revolutionary place. Its opening date - 1100 - marks the re-emergence of a vernacular poetic...

"The second volume in The Oxford History of Poetry in English (OHOPE) occupies both a foundational and a revolutionary place. Its opening date - 1100 - marks the re-emergence of a vernacular poetic record in English after the political and cultural disruption of the Norman Conquest. By its end date - 1400 - English poetry had become an established, if still evolving, literary tradition. The period between these dates sees major innovations and developments in language, topics, poetic forms, and means of expression. Middle English poetry reflects the influence of multiple contexts - history, social institutions, manuscript production, old and new models of versification, medieval poetic theory, and the other literary languages of England. Recognizing these influences, the volume nonetheless retains OHOPE's focus on poetics and a history of poetry in English. It thus emphasises the aesthetic, imaginative treatment of new and received materials by medieval writers and the formal craft required for their verse. Individual chapters treat the representation of national history and mythology, contemporary issues, and the shared doctrine and learning provided by sacred and secular sources, including the Bible"--