Synopses & Reviews
This volume gathers the contributions of senior and junior scholarsandmdash;all indebted to the pathbreaking work of Derek Pearsallandmdash;to showcase new research prompted by his rich and ongoing legacy as a literary critic, editor, and seminal founder of Middle English manuscript studies. The contributors aim both to honor Pearsallandrsquo;s work in the field he established and to introduce the complexities of interdisciplinary manuscript studies to students already familiar with medieval literature. The contributors explore a range of issues, from the study of medieval literary manuscripts to the history of medieval books, libraries, literacy, censorship, and the social classes who used the books and manuscriptsandmdash;nobles, children, schoolmasters, priests, merchants, and more. In addressing reading practices, essays provide a wealth of information on marginal commentaries, images and interpretive methods, international transmission, and early print and editorial methods.
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andquot;New Directions in Medieval Manuscript Studies and Reading Practices marks the heritage of the distinguished scholar Derek Pearsall while highlighting his continuing influence on medieval manuscript studies. Buoyed by fine work of senior scholars, the collection also introduces readers to stimulating work by an upcoming generation of more recent practitioners, all of whom address crucial issues in the field: the particulars of individual manuscripts, including scribal practice, marginal commentary, and audience reception. The result is a fine collection at once canonical in some respects and innovative in others.andquot; andmdash;Paul H. Strohm, Anna S. Garbedian Professor Emeritus of the Humanities, Columbia University
andquot;The range of topics covered in this impressive collectionandmdash;manuscript studies, Lydgate, Chaucer, Gower, Hoccleve, Langland, and romanceandmdash;attests to the wide-ranging influence Derek Pearsall has exerted on the field of medieval studies. It is hard to think of a scholar since the inception of English studies who has had a greater effect on so many fields of Middle English literature. The lively contributions in this volume come from Derekand#39;s colleagues, admirers, students, and students of his students, demonstrating that and#39;Pearsallian reading practicesand#39; will live on long into the future.andquot; andmdash;Michael Johnston, Purdue Universityand#160;andquot;This volume is an impressive tribute to Derek Pearsalland#39;s legacy and an important resource for anyone interested in manuscripts, scribes, annotators, and readers. It offers resounding evidence of the many ways that manuscript studies is a necessity for understanding medieval literary texts and textual production.andquot; andmdash;Misty Schieberle, University of Kansas
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About the Author
Kathryn Kerby-Fulton is Notre Dame Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame. Her books include
Books under Suspicion: Censorship and Tolerance of Revelatory Writing in Late Medieval England and
Voices in Dialogue: Reading Women in the Middle Ages (co-edited with Linda Olson), both published by the University of Notre Dame Press.
John J. Thompson is chair of English Textual Cultures and director, Institute for Collaborative Research in the Humanities, at Queenand#8217;s University Belfast.
Sarah Baechle is a post-doctoral fellow in English at the University of Notre Dame.
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Contributors: Sarah Baechle, Julia Boffey, Peter Brown, Katie Ann-Marie Bugyis, Christopher Cannon, A. I. Doyle, Martha W. Driver, Siand#226;n Echard, Nicole Eddy, A. S. G. Edwards, Hilary E. Fox, Karrie Fuller, Maura Giles-Watson, Phillipa Hardman, Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, Jill Mann, William Marx, Sarah McNamer, Carol M. Meale, Linne Mooney, Melinda Nielsen, Theresa Oand#8217;Byrne, Stephen Partridge, Oliver Pickering, Susan Powell, Elizabeth Scala, A. C. Spearing, John J. Thompson, Edward Wheatley, Jocelyn Wogan-Browne, Hannah Zdansky, Nicolette Zeeman.