Cleanness: Structure and Meaning - Hardcover

Lecklider, Jane K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0859915190 ISBN 13: 9780859915199

Publisher: D.S. Brewer, 1997

Synopsis

This book offers a comprehensive explication of the Middle English poem Cleanness, based upon an analysis of the wide range of source materials shown to have been available in the cathedrals and religious houses of the westMidlands during the fourteenth century. It traces the influence of these writings on the poem, giving an insight into the poet's methods of working, and indicating the type of audience for whom the poems attributed to this anonymous author were composed. Clearly revealed is the parallel between the sequence of Old Testament stories in Cleannessand the biblical narratives found as readings for the church year, supporting an argument for the structural dependence of the poem upon the liturgical cycle. The author also argues that the scriptural readings for the liturgical year, together with patristic texts, functioned as an important source of inspiration not just for Cleanness, but for Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Pearl; her detailed introductory chapter explores the liturgical affiliations among the poems, and compares them with the sources and techniques exploited in other contemporary vernacular works, such as Piers Plowman. The volume includes a chart demonstrating the parallels between Cleannessand a representative liturgical year. JANE K. LECKLIDER gained her Ph.D.from King's College, University of London.

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Review

This impressively researched book is the first thorough study of the theological background of Cleanness. It proposes that the liturgical cycle is the key to the poem's structure, its exempla running parallel with the readings for Advent... Lecklider's study is extremely useful as a collection of sources and analogues for Cleanness, especially since it contains some important new findings. MEDIUM AEVUM By demonstrating how Advent is central to the poem and the Breviary a guide to the poet's selection and treatment of materials, Lecklider's empirical study offers considerable riches to students of Cleanness. NOTES & QUERIESAn admirable study of the exegetical and liturgical traditions which inform the narratives in Cleanness, offering in the process new insights into the structure of the poem... a distinctive and valuable contribution to the understanding of Cleanness. REVIEW OF ENGLISH STUDIES

Synopsis

This study offers a comprehensive explication of the Middle English poem, "Cleanness", based upon an analysis of the wide range of source materials shown to have been available in the cathedrals and religious houses of the west Midlands during the 14th century. It traces the influence of these writings on the poem, giving an insight into the poet's methods of working, and indicating the type of audience for whom the poems were composed by this anonymous author. A parallel is revealed between the sequence of Old Testament stories in "Cleanness" and the biblical narratives found as readings for the church year, supporting an argument for the structural dependence of the poem upon the liturgical cycle. The author also argues that the scriptural readings for the liturgical year, together with patristic texts, functioned as an important source of inspiration, not just for "Cleanness" but also for "Patience", "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Pearl". Her detailed introductory chapter explores the liturgical affiliations among the poems and compares them with the sources and techniques exploited in other contemporary vernacular works, such as "Piers Plowman".

The volume includes a chart which demonstrates the parallels between "Cleanness" and a representative liturgical year.

Edition details

• Publisher: D.S. Brewer
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0859915190
• ISBN 13: 9780859915199
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 292