This book enhances our understanding of the exquisitely beautiful,
fourteenth-century, Middle English dream vision poem Pearl.
Situating the study in the contexts of medieval literary criticism
and contemporary genre theory, Beal argues that the poet intended
Pearl to be read at four levels of meaning and in four
corresponding genres: literally, an elegy; spiritually, an
allegory; morally, a consolation; and anagogically, a revelation.
The book addresses cruxes and scholarly debates about the poem's
genre and meaning, including key questions that have been
unresolved in Pearl studies for over a century: * What is the
nature of the relationship between the Dreamer and the Maiden? *
What is the significance of allusions to Ovidian love stories and
the use of liturgical time in the poem? * How does avian symbolism,
like that of the central symbol of the pearl, develop, transform,
and add meaning throughout the dream vision? * What is the nature
of God portrayed in the poem, and how does the portrayal of the
Maiden's intimate relationship to God, her spiritual marriage to
the Lamb, connect to the poet's purpose in writing? Noting that the
poem is open to many interpretations, Beal also considers folktale
genre patterns in Pearl, including those drawn from parable, fable,
and fairy-tale. The conclusion considers Pearl in the light of
modern psychological theories of grieving and trauma. This book
makes a compelling case for re-reading Pearl and recognizing the
poem's signifying power. Given the ongoing possibility of new
interpretations, it will appeal to those who specialize in Pearl as
well as scholars of Middle English, Medieval Literature, Genre
Theory, and Literature and Religion.
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