A Book of Middle English

The new edition of the leading introductory textbook on Middle English poetry and prose A Book of Middle English introduces readers to a wide range of English literature from the mid-twelfth century to the end of the fourteenth century. Now in its fourth edition, this classic textbook opens with an introduction to the language of the time, showing how it evolved throughout the period. Each text has a brief headnote, a short reading list and explanatory footnotes, supported by an extensive glossary and bibliography. In this accessible introduction to Middle English literature, the authors offer guidance on pronunciation, grammar, dialects, metre and vocabulary, and present key works including The Owl and the Nightingale, Langland's Piers Plowman, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a selection of lyrics and the York Play of the Crucifixion. The fourth edition has been revised throughout in light of new editions and critical studies, and includes an excerpt from Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love, as well as a new chapter discussing how to approach a translation from Middle English. Already a standard textbook in colleges and universities worldwide, this new edition of A Book of Middle English will remain an essential resource for students and teachers of Middle English as well as courses on the history of English and linguistics.