The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: Volume 2, The Middle Ages

Cambridge University Press, 2/12/2009
EAN 9780521317184, ISBN10: 0521317185

Paperback, 882 pages, 22.8 x 15.3 x 4.3 cm
Language: English

This is the first-ever history of the literary theory and criticism produced during the Middle Ages that covers all the main traditions in Latin, the major European vernaculars and Byzantine Greek. Starting with the study of grammar and the formal 'arts' of poetry, letter-writing and preaching, it proceeds to offer a full description of the Latin commentary tradition on classical and classicising literature, followed by explanations of medieval views on literary imagination and memory and the ways in which certain texts were believed to achieve moral profit through pleasure. Subsequent essays explore the diverse theoretical and critical traditions which developed in the vernacular languages, ranging from Medieval Irish to Old Norse, Occitan to Middle High German, concentrating particularly on Dante and his commentators and Italian humanist criticism. The volume concludes with an examination of the attitudes to literature and its uses in Greek Byzantium.

Introduction Alastair Minnis and Ian Johnson
Part I. The Liberal Arts and the Arts of Latin Textuality
1. Grammatica and literary theory Martin Irvine with David Thomson
2. The arts of poetry and prose J. J. Murphy
3. The arts of letter writing Ronald G. Witt
4. The arts of preaching Siegfried Wenzel
Part II. The Study of Classical Authors
5. From late antiquity until the twelfth century Winthrop Wetherbee
6. From the twelfth century until c.1500 Vincent Gillespie
Part III. Textual Psychologies
Imagination, Memory, Pleasure
7. Literary imagination and memory Alastair Minnis
8. The profits of pleasure Glending Olson
Part IV. Vernacular Critical Traditions
The Early Middle Ages
9. Medieval Irish literary theory and criticism Patrick Sims-Williams and Erich Poppe
10. Anglo-Saxon textual attitudes Ananya Jahanara Kabir
11. Literary theory and practice in early medieval Germany John Flood
12. Literary criticism in Welsh before c.1300 Marged Haycock
13. Criticism and literary theory in Old Norse-Icelandic Margaret Clunies Ross
Part V. Vernacular Critical Traditions
The Late Middle Ages
14. Latin commentary tradition and vernacular literature Alastair Minnis, Ralph Hanna, Tony Hunt, Nigel Palmer and Ronald Keightley
15. Vernacular literary consciousness
English, French, German Kevin Brownlee, Tony Hunt, Ian Johnson, Nigel Palmer and James Simpson
16. Occitan grammars and the art of Troubadour poetry Simon Gaunt and John Marshall
17. Literary theory and polemic in Castile, c.1200–c.1500 Julian Weiss
18. Literary criticism in Middle High German literature Nigel Palmer
19. Later literary criticism in Wales Gruffydd Aled Williams
Part VI. Latin and Vernacular in Italian Literary Theory
20. Dante Alighieri
experimentation and (self-)exegesis Zygmunt G. Baranski
21. The Epistle to Can Grande Zygmunt G. Baranski
22. The Trecento commentaries on Dante's Commedia Steven Botterill
23. Latin and vernacular from Dante to the age of Lorenzo (1321–c. 1500) Martin McLaughlin
24. Humanist views on the study of Italian poetry in the early Italian Renaissance David Robey
25. Humanist criticism of Latin and vernacular prose Martin McLaughlin
Part VII. Byzantine Literary Theory and Criticism
26. Byzantine literary criticism and the uses of literature Thomas Conley
Bibliography
Index.

'... illuminating and informative account of medieval European literary theory and criticism, this volume deserves high praise.' Review of English Studies