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This is not a book about what Beowulf means but how it means and how the reader participates in the process of meaning construction; to this end, it is a bringing together of contemporary critical theory and Old English poetry. Overing's primary aim is to address the poem on its own terms, to trace and develop an interpretive strategy consonant with the terms of its difference from all other poems. Beowulf's arcane structure describes cyclical repetitions and patterned intersections of themes that baffle a linear perspective; the structure suggests instead the irresolution and dynamism of deconstructionist freeplay of textual elements.
First printed in 2001 by the University of Pennsylvania Press, this book has been out of print for several years and is highly sought after by researchers in the field of Medieval cultural studies. "Double Agents" was the first book length study of women in Anglo-Saxon written culture that took on board the insights of contemporary critical theory, especially feminist theory, in order to elucidate the complex challenges of both the absence and presence of women in the historical record. That is to say, unlike the two earlier books on women in this period (by Fell, 1984, and by Chance, 1986), this is not a book about only those women in the written record (whether we think of it as historical...
Contemporary arts, both practice and methods, offer medieval scholars innovative ways to examine, explore, and reframe the past. Medievalists offer contemporary studies insights into cultural works of the past that have been made or reworked in the present. Creative-critical writing invites the adaptation of scholarly style using forms such as the dialogue, short essay, and the poem; these are, the authors argue, appropriate ways to explore innovative pathways from the contemporary to the medieval, and vice versa. Speculative and non-traditional, The Contemporary Medieval in Practice adapts the conventional scholarly essay to reflect its cross-disciplinary, creative subject. This book ‘doe...
'An extraordinary rich study of the power of place in the Northern medieval world by two medievalists, who are also 'compleat geographers' in that they do fieldwork that is always informed by theory and they demonstrate exceptional sensitivity to place's double nature-compelling presence and elusiveness to interpretation.' Yi-Fu Tuan, Department of Geography University of Wisconsin at Madison
Informed by multicultural, multidisciplinary perspectives, The Cambridge History of Early Medieval English Literature offers a new exploration of the earliest writing in Britain and Ireland, from the end of the Roman Empire to the mid-twelfth century. Beginning with an account of writing itself, as well as of scripts and manuscript art, subsequent chapters examine the earliest texts from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the tremendous breadth of Anglo-Latin literature. Chapters on English learning and literature in the ninth century and the later formation of English poetry and prose also convey the profound cultural confidence of the period. Providing a discussion of essential texts, including Beowulf and the writings of Bede, this History captures the sheer inventiveness and vitality of early medieval literary culture through topics as diverse as the literature of English law, liturgical and devotional writing, the workings of science and the history of women's writing.
Medievalists have much to gain from a thoroughgoing contemplation of place. If landscapes are windows onto human activity, they connect us with medieval people, enabling us to ask questions about their senses of space and place. In A Place to Believe In Clare Lees and Gillian Overing bring together scholars of medieval literature, archaeology, history, religion, art history, and environmental studies to explore the idea of place in medieval religious culture. The essays in A Place to Believe In reveal places real and imagined, ancient and modern: Anglo-Saxon Northumbria (home of Whitby and Bede&’s monastery of Jarrow), Cistercian monasteries of late medieval Britain, pilgrimages of mind an...
This anthology explores the relationship between feminism and writing theory. The chapters cover the major issues: basic pedagogical theory and philosophical approaches to the teaching of writing, studies of problems encountered by female writers and writing instructors, and useful how-to essays on classroom technique. The authors also address important, provocative questions about power in the classroom—its use, abuse, and distribution. The book is based on the concept of equity, which the editors define: "Equity does not mean to us the abolition of differences among individuals, nor does it imply a blanket imposition of an Orwellian homogeneity. It does not mean stifling some voices so t...
Modern scholarship generally treats the "debate about women" (querelle des femmes) as a late medieval phenomenon, perhaps touched upon by canonic authors like Chaucer but truly begun by Christine de Pizan (1364-1429), and therefore primarily of English and French origin. That emphasis has obscured the ways in which both writers were participating in a much wider, much older cultural phenomenon with varied and intractable roots. Articles in this collection explore how gender is put into debate in Anglo-Saxon, German, Spanish and Italian cultures, and they re-examine French and Middle English debate literature. The collection is carefully planned to be accessible to students seeking an idea of the debate's motifs and contours while maintaining the high level of issue involvement necessary to commanding a more seasoned audience. Contributors include Pamela Benson, Alcuin Blamires, Margaret Franklin, Roberta Krueger, Clare Lees and Gillian Overing, Ann Matter, Karen Pratt, Helen Solterer, Julian Weiss, and Barbara Weissberger.
Re-examines a critical tradition unchallenged since the 19th century. The 20 essays reassess the place of women in Anglo-Saxon culture as demonstrated by the laws, works by women, and the depiction of them in the standard Old English canon of literature (Beowulf, Alfred, Wulfstan, et al.) Categories include the historical record, sexuality and folklore, language and gender characterization, and several deconstructions of stereotypes. Paper edition (unseen), $14.50. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Beards and Texts explores the literary portrayal of beards in medieval German texts from the mid-twelfth to the early sixteenth centuries. It argues that as the pre-eminent symbol for masculinity the beard played a distinctive role throughout the Middle Ages in literary discussions of such major themes as majesty and humanity. At the same time beards served as an important point of reference in didactic poetry concerned with wisdom, teaching and learning, and in comedic texts that were designed to make their audiences laugh, not least by submitting various figure-types to the indignity of having their beards manhandled. Four main chapters each offer a reading of a work or poetic tradition of...