Rereading Middle English romance : manuscript layout, decoration, and the rhetoric of composite structure / Murray J. Evans.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Evans, Murray J. (Murray James), 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Romances, English--Criticism, Textual.

Romances, English.

Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval--England.

Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval.

Illumination of books and manuscripts, English.

Decoration and ornament, Medieval--England.

Decoration and ornament, Medieval.

Romances, English--Illustrations.

Romances, English--Manuscripts.

Manuscripts, English (Middle).

Rhetoric, Medieval.

Physical Description:

xx, 203 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Buffalo : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1995.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

With reference to features of layout and decoration, Evans interprets Guy of Warwick as a composite work, not separate works as some scholars suggest. Examining Sir Isumbras as a homiletic romance, and Sir Degaré and Sir Orfeo as Middle English lays, he shows how different versions of these romances, in their varied composite manuscript contexts, necessitate different readings of the "same" works and of their subgenres. Evans considers the manuscript structure of groups of works with different authorship and establishes six models of composite literary structure for Middle English literature. Evans argues that manuscript groupings of romances - and of romances with nonromances - enrich our interpretations of individual romances, romance as a genre, and medieval literary structure. This original study will appeal to readers interested in medieval romance and manuscripts, medieval literary structure, and computer applications in the humanities.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Tables

Figures

Preface and Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Compilatio, Physical Layout, and Decoration: Touchstones

Romance, Nonromance, and Conventions of Manuscript Layout and Decoration: A Survey of Some Collections

Romances in Composite Manuscript Contexts I: Sir Isumbras, the Isumbras-Group, and Homiletic Romance

Romances in Composite Manuscript Contexts II: Sir Degare, Sir Orfeo, and the Middle English Lay

The Rhetoric of Composite Structure, or Rereading Middle English Romance: Conclusions

Lists of Data and Contents for Each Manuscript

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85719-3

9786612857195

0-7735-6506-X

OCLC:

929121086