English Literature from the Old English Period Through the Renaissance
English Literature from the Old English Period Through the Renaissance

Author: Britannica Educational Publishing

Publisher: Britannica Educational Publishing

Published: 2010-04-01

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1615302301

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Retaining the thrill and tone of oral storytelling as the written word became increasingly widespread was the charge of early English writing. Beginning in the Old English period and continuing through the Medieval and Renaissance periods, writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare began to elevate the place of literature in society. This volume details the evolution of early English literature and the enduring works that have withstood centuries of linguistic and cultural change.

Contradictions: From Beowulf to Chaucer
Contradictions: From Beowulf to Chaucer

Author: Theodore M. Andersson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 1351948768

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume brings together a series of key essays by Larry D Benson, well-known for his work in editing the Riverside Chaucer. Of the studies selected, the opening three deal with Old English, recasting the possibilities for the critical study of Beowulf, above all the relation between oral and written literary production. The following ten essays turn to Middle English literature, with the focus first on Chaucer, and the evolution of his works and his language, then on the social and cultural context of medieval chivalric texts. Throughout, Professor Benson approaches his subjects with a skeptical intent, even a seeming contrariness in seeking to contradict received views, but in fact with the purpose of questioning in order to understand more deeply. Scattered in their original publications, and with one hitherto unpublished, together these studies present a powerful argument for this questioning approach to fundamental issues and constitute a major contribution to the study of the literary and cultural history of the medieval world. Larry D Benson is Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English, Harvard University.