The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism

A comprehensive introduction to European literary criticism and theory of the Middle Ages.

In addition to the main traditions in Medieval Latin and Byzantine Greek, this comprehensive introduction to the literary theory and criticism produced during the Middle Ages covers all major European vernaculars, ranging from Irish to Old Norse, from Occitan to Middle High German and Italian. Special attention is given to the contribution of Dante Alighieri and his commentators, along with the debates on the relative merits of Latin and the Italian vernacular, and the literary attitudes of the early humanists.

Introduction Alastair Minnis and Ian Johnson; Part I. The Liberal Arts and the Arts of Latin Textuality: 1. Grammatica and literary theory Martin Irvine with David Thomson; 2. The arts of poetry and prose J. J. Murphy; 3. The arts of letter writing Ronald G. Witt; 4. The arts of preaching Siegfried Wenzel; Part II. The Study of Classical Authors: 5. From late antiquity until the twelfth century Winthrop Wetherbee; 6. From the twelfth century until c.1500 Vincent Gillespie; Part III. Textual Psychologies: Imagination, Memory, Pleasure: 7. Literary imagination and memory Alastair Minnis; 8. The profits of pleasure Glending Olson; Part IV. Vernacular Critical Traditions: The Early Middle Ages: 9. Medieval Irish literary theory and criticism Patrick Sims-Williams and Erich Poppe; 10. Anglo-Saxon textual attitudes Ananya Jahanara Kabir; 11. Literary theory and practice in early medieval Germany John Flood; 12. Literary criticism in Welsh before c.1300 Marged Haycock; 13. Criticism and literary theory in Old Norse-Icelandic Margaret Clunies Ross; Part V. Vernacular Critical Traditions: The Late Middle Ages: 14. Latin commentary tradition and vernacular literature Alastair Minnis, Ralph Hanna, Tony Hunt, Nigel Palmer and Ronald Keightley; 15. Vernacular literary consciousness: English, French, German Kevin Brownlee, Tony Hunt, Ian Johnson, Nigel Palmer and James Simpson; 16. Occitan grammars and the art of Troubadour poetry Simon Gaunt and John Marshall; 17. Literary theory and polemic in Castile, c.1200-c.1500 Julian Weiss; 18. Literary criticism in Middle High German literature Nigel Palmer; 19. Later literary criticism in Wales Gruffydd Aled Williams; Part VI. Latin and Vernacular in Italian Literary Theory: 20. Dante Alighieri: experimentation and (self-)exegesis Zygmunt G. Baranski; 21. The Epistle to Can Grande Zygmunt G. Baranski; 22. The Trecento commentaries on Dante's Commedia Steven Botterill; 23. Latin and vernacular from Dante to the age of Lorenzo (1321-c. 1500) Martin McLaughlin; 24. Humanist views on the study of Italian poetry in the early Italian Renaissance David Robey; 25. Humanist criticism of Latin and vernacular prose Martin McLaughlin; Part VII. Byzantine Literary Theory and Criticism: 26. Byzantine literary criticism and the uses of literature Thomas Conley; Bibliography; Index.