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There has been a marked revival of interest in medievaldrama in recent years, much of it informed by an increasingunderstanding that drama is not just literature, but a social andindeed commercial event, essentially a communal effort, inextricablybound up with social structures. This collection of essays examinesvarious aspects of the inter-relation between a number of different'European communities' and the plays they performed, covering a rangeof theatres and play-types, and providing an international perspectiveon performance cultures across Europe. Contributors include AlanHindley, Introduction; Lynette Muir, 'European communities andmedieval drama'; Graham A. Runnalls, 'Drama and community in latemedieval Paris'; Robert L.A. Clark, 'Community versus subject in latemedieval French confraternity drama and ritual'; Frederick W. Langley,'Community drama and community politics in thirteenth-century Arras:Adam de la Halle's Jeu de la Feuillée'; Alan Hindley, 'Actingcompanies in late medieval France: Triboulet and his troupe'; AlanE. Knight, 'Processional theatre and the rituals of social unity inLille'; Wim Hüsken, 'Cornelis Everaert and the community of latemedieval Bruges'; Elsa Strietman, 'A tale of two cities: drama andcommunity in the Low Countries'; John Tailby, 'Drama and community inSouth Tyrol'; Konrad Schoell, 'Individual and social affiliation inthe Nuremberg Shrovetide Plays'; Alan J. Fletcher, 'Performingmedieval Irish communities'; Pamela M. King, 'Contemporary culturalmodels for the trial plays in the York Cycle'; Chris Humphrey,'Festive drama and community politics in late medieval Coventry';Philip Butterworth, 'Prompting in full view of the audience: amedieval staging convention'; Alexandra F. Johnston, 'Englishcommunity drama in crisis: 1535-80'; Jane Oakshott, 'York Guilds'Mystery Plays 1998: the rebuilding of dramatic community'. ... Read more

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This third edition of The Poems of the Pearl Manuscripthas been newly revised and updated, taking account of some of the moreimportant textual and interpretative notes and articles published onthe poems since the appearance of the first edition in 1978. ... Read more

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The essays in this book examine various manifestations of monstrosity in the early literatures of England, Ireland and Scandinavia. The dates of the texts discussed range from the eight to the thirteenth centuries and were written either in Latin or in one of the vernaculars. The present contributions shed light on the physical, mental and metaphysical qualities that characterise medieval monsters in general. How do such creatures relate to accepted physical norms? How do their behaviours deviate from established cultural practices? How can their presence in both fictional and non-fictional texts be explained either in terms of a textual tradition or as a response to actual events? Such issues are examined from literary, philosophical, theological and historical points of view in order to provide a thorough, multifaceted depiction of the sub- and supernatural monsters of medieval Northwest Europe. ... Read more

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This interdisciplinary volume takes as its subject the multi-faceted genre of didactic literature (the literature of instruction), which constituted the cornerstone of literary enterprise and social control in medieval and early modern Europe. Following an Introduction that raises questions of didactic meaning, intent, audience, and social effect, nineteen chapters deal with the construction of the individual didactic voice and persona in the premodern period, didactic literature for children, women as the creators, objects, and consumers of didactic literature, the influence of advice literature on adult literacy, piety, and heresy, and the revision of classical didactic forms and motifs in the early modern period. Attention is paid throughout to the continuities of didactic literature across the medieval and early modern periods-its intertextuality, reliance on tradition, and self-renewal-and to questions of gender, authority, control, and the socially constructed nature of advice. Contributors particularly explore the intersection of advice literature with real lives, considering the social impact of both individual texts and the didactic genre as a whole. The volume deals with a wide variety of texts from the early Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, written in languages from Latin through the European vernaculars to Byzantine Greek and Russian, offering a comprehensive overview of this pervasive and influential genre. ... Read more

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Ovid's Metamorphosis is a work which displays his mature genius and is a treasure house of mythology. This volume continues in the same style as books I-IV, V-VIII; with a line by line translation and notes which trace Ovid's sources and his influence on literature and art. It has, however, been designed to stand alone or to be read as a sequel to the earlier volumes. ... Read more

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Text with translation and commentary. (Aris and Phillips 1996) ... Read more

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The Dominican Thomas of Cantimpre (c. 1200-c. 1270) was a key figure in the 'evangelical awakening' of the thirteenth century. A prolific hagiographer, he lauded such diverse subjects as the abbot and apostolic preacher John of Cantimpre; the teenage saint Margaret of Ypres, an urban recluse who died at 21; Lutgard of Aywieres, a Cistercian nun and mystic; and the theatrical, mentally troubled Christina 'the Astonishing' of St-Trond. Thomas had few peers in portraying the ritual theatre of penance. He gives us such memorable scenes as a naked moneylender led out of a pit by a rope, a formerly rapacious prince kissing his peasants' feet as he restores their stolen goods, St Christina leaping into fires and boiling cauldrons to save souls in purgatory, and the deceased Pope Innocent III in agony, begging St Lutgard for her prayers. In this volume readers will find all four lively and eventful lives between the same covers for the first time. The Life of Abbot John of Cantimpre has been newly translated by Barbara Newman, who has also supplied a new introduction. The other three Lives are reprinted from Margot H. King's Peregrina Translations Series. ... Read more

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The scholarship of T.P. Wiseman on the late Roman Republic is remarkable in combining vivid and detailed historical insight into the social, political and topographical realities of that period with a sympathetic understanding of late Republican literature, particularly the poetry of Catullus. Roman Studies reprints twenty-eight of his major periodical contributions up to 1983, and publishes for the first time 'The Masters of Sirmio', exploring the economic, political and literary associations of the great villa on Lake Garda associated with the family of Catullus. ... Read more

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Last edited in 1978, the two poems edited in this volume aremedieval English versions of the legendary lives of Adam and Eve, telling of their attempts to regain the Paradise they had just lost and their life after the Fall, and merging with the related legends of the history of the Cross after Christ. The poems are important as part of a very large European tradition of vernacular adaptations of the Adambook, known in its Latin form (the immediate source) as the Vitae Adae et Evae, with analogues in many other languages. Once very well known, these stories largely disappeared after the Reformation. The works are of equal interest not only in the general area of medieval English literature, but also in the study of Old Testament apocrypha itself. ... Read more

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Combat is one of the central themes of Middle High German narrative literature, and of significant interest to medievalists in general. Nevertheless, few studies to date have attempted a detailed analysis of the depiction of combat in literary texts. Rachel Kellett uses an inclusive approach to the details of combat descriptions in order to analyse minutely the scenes of single combat and battle presented in two major narrative works by Der Stricker, the epic Karl der Grosse and the Arthurian romance Daniel von dem Blühenden Tal, written between 1220 and 1250. The author compares these works with a wide range of other texts, both French and German, and investigates the relationship between Stricker's depiction of combat and that found in the works of Hartmann von Aue and Wolfram von Eschenbach among others. She also draws on historical research into medieval warfare, tournament and the tradition of the judicial combat, which adds valuable depth to her analysis of literary texts. Overall, this study provides new insights into the depiction of combat in Middle High German literature as a whole, while at the same time highlighting hitherto unnoticed aspects of the writings of Der Stricker as an individual author, and bringing a new perspective on the ambiguous role played by combat in the equally ambiguous Daniel von dem Blühenden Tal. ... Read more

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Text with translation and commentary. (Aris and Phillips 1986) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Free and easy with the prose
How this transalation appears to you really depends upon the purposes for which you are reading it. Lacey is quite free and easy with the prose, something which personally I find an advantage as it makes Cicero very'readable' as it were. For the scholar studying Latin, rather than history,another edition would probably be a better idea.

To the Phillipicitself, it is a must-read for anybody studying the late Roman republic.Cicero's vile attack upon Antony is world famous and has been passed downthrough history. Seperating fact from fiction, with all the exaggerationsin between, is quite a task, but despite the fact that a good half of whatCicero claims simply was not true, it is an invaluable source for thisperiod in history.

For the general reader, this translation is compelling
The Classics student may find, despite the traditionally brilliant 'Loeb' style format, that the English translation version of this book is too free and not accurate enough. However, as Lacey admits himself, this was neverhis purpose. Lacey produced this book for literary interest and not strictaccuracy to the latin and, in this, he is extremely effective and makesCicero come alive for classicists and ordinary people alike. ... Read more

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An excellent edition of Ancrene Wisse
This is an excellent edition of the Ancrene Wisse with helpful notes though the reader should be very familiar with Middle English before purchasing!

Much-Needed Help
Ancrene Wisse, for anyone who's read Middle English, is typical of the language:difficult to understand, assistance necessary.The intro is worth reading; the glossary comprehensive and well laid out.

An amazing look into the life of spiritually-dedicated women
This book, originally written by a priest, instructs spirtually-minded women on how to live a spirtual life as an anchoress. An anchoress is a woman, typically young, who devotes her life to prayer and contemplation while living out her life in a "anchor-hold," a small room in a medieval church.
Equal parts Christianity instruction manual, hymnal, spiritual essay and textbook, this work thoroughly--and beautifully--details how an anchoress should lead a chaste, prayerful life. Though many of the tenets put forth in this book seem draconian and unneccesary by today's standards, the reader cannot doubt the intelligence and fatherly care of the author and the devotion of the intended audience. Modern readers can enjoy its poetic writing, take comfort (or unease) in its message, and learn a bit of Latin from its frequent use (don't worry--there are plenty of translations and footnotes).
This is a very serious book and to read it all requires some effort. I recommend reading it in short, frequent sessions. It has much to offer for anyone interested in Christianity, spirituality or the cloistered life. ... Read more