The French tradition and the literature of medieval England / William Calin.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Calin develops a synthesis of medieval French and English literature that will be especially useful for classroom study.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Not since the work of Charles Muscatine (Chaucer and the French Traditions, 1957) and James Wimsatt (Chaucer and His French Contemporaries, CH, Jul'92) has the French background to medieval English literature received such attention, but Calin's study is far broader in scope. Calin (Univ. of Florida) widens his examination to include 12th-century Anglo-Norman romance, hagiographic writings, and Continental French works of the 13th to the 15th centuries. Finally, he takes up specific authors (from Chaucer to Malory) and the Middle English romance, paying close attention to the French contribution to their literary production. He concludes that the English reading public was attracted to two French modes of imaginative literature--the romance with its stories of heroism, love, and adventure; and allegory, which provided English authors with the model for psychological insights expressed through personifications. Calin observes that these two genres extend over much of the most mature period of Middle English literature. This important study by an outstanding specialist of French literature sheds new light on the contact between the literatures of these two cultures. It will surely be regarded for years to come as the standard study of French literature written in England and of French-inspired English literature. A must for any college or university library. R. O'Gorman; University of Iowa