Christine de Pizan (1364/5-1430?) was arguably the first woman to support herself and her family as a professional writer and public intellectual. In recent decades, recognition of her importance for
“An insightful study of the British origins of the Arthurian tale.”—Choice “The author’s careful historical contextualizing of her many texts (starting with a helpful Chronology at the beginning of th
“An essential introduction to the Old French chanson de geste tradition, from basic texts to critical considerations of the genre.”—Leslie Zarker Morgan, coeditor of Approaches to Teaching the “Song o
“An impressive and challenging survey of the five poems attributed to the poet known as the Gawain-poet. Bowers presents the principal critical issues in Gawain, Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, and St. Er
“A comprehensive and witty guide to understanding Piers Plowman in all its versions, and a manifesto for the pure intellectual pleasure to be had from reading the text as it dynamically unfolds in eac
In An Introduction to the Gawain Poet, John Bowers surveys an expanded selection of the works of Chaucer's anonymous contemporary, considering Sir Gawain and the Green Knight alongside the poet's less
"Offers a welcome vade mecum to the Chaucer reader, whether a student or teacher. Impressively interweaving a lifetime of teaching Chaucer with a deep knowledge of his texts, Pugh compresses into one
“A comprehensive and witty guide to understanding Piers Plowman in all its versions and a manifesto for the pure intellectual pleasure to be had from reading the text as it dynamically unfo
“Intelligent, insightful, and superbly researched. Jones has succeeded especially well in presenting so many texts and recounting their stories with clarity, brevity, and a light hand.”—William Calin,