Old English and Middle English Poetry

Originally published in 1977, Old English and Middle English Poetry provides a historical approach to English poetry. The book examines the conditions out of which poetry grew and argues that the functions that it was assigned are historically integral to an informed understanding of the nature of poetry. The book aims to relate poems to the intellectual and formal traditions by which they are shaped and given their being. This book will be of interest to students and academics studying or working in the fields of literature and history alike.

Derek Pearsall

General Editor's Preface Introduction Abbreviations 1. Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Poetic Tradition 2. Anglo-Saxon Religious Poems 3. Late Old English Poetry and the Transition 4. Poetry in the Early Middle English Period 5. Some Fourteenth-Century Books and Writers 6. Alliterative Poetry 7. Court Poetry 8. The Close of the Middle Ages 9. Conclusion Appendix 1: Technical Terms, Mainly Metrical Appendix 2: Chronological Table Notes Index