This is a comprehensive guide to a literary period characterized by great variety and imagination, and vividly alert to the social transformations overtaking society. Spanning almost two centuries, it introduces the reader to a diverse range of authors writing for a fast-developing readership of both men and women. Each chapter focuses on a group of genres primarily associated with a particular social class - from the Drama and Saints' Lives accessible to the illiterate, to the sophisticated Romances of Love savoured by the aristocracy and the Court. Lively historical narratives place each group of texts in their social, political and cultural contexts. Significant or typical texts are given more detailed analysis that includes critical issues and questions to guide the reader's own approach, and each section is supported by a detailed bibliography of further reading.

William Langland's poem Piers Plowman is one of the most popular and widely-studied Middle English works. This comprehensive, readable guide leads the student chronologically through the entire text and is designed to be read alongside it. Assuming no previous knowledge, readers are introduced to characters, plot and argument in way that enables them to enjoy and analyse the text for themselves. A Guidebook to 'Piers Plowman': * clarifies and explores Langland's thinking * contextualises the religious, political and social issues he raises * details the genres and sources the poet uses * employs up-to-date bibliographical knowledge to offer alternative critical interpretations and suggest ways of relating these to the poet's key concerns * explains Langland's historical, theological and psychological assumptions in helpful inserted text boxes * features illustrations and suggestions for further reading. Concise and approachable, this is an invaluable tool to help students appreciate the originality and modernity of Langland's poetry.

This is the first compendious study of the influence of Platonism on the English literary tradition, showing how English writers used Platonic themes and images within their own imaginative work. Source texts include Plato's Dialogues, and the writings of Neoplatonists and the early Christians who were largely responsible for assimilating Platonic ideas into a Christian culture; and there are essays on more than thirty English authors from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, including Shakespeare, Milton, Blake, Wordsworth, Yeats, Pound and Iris Murdoch. Each chronological section has its own introduction to highlight how every age has reconstructed Platonism to suit its own understanding of the world, and there is a bibliographical guide to further reading. Established experts and new writers over a range of disciplines have worked together to produce the first comprehensive overview of Platonism in English literature.

This is the first compendious study of the influence of Platonism on the English literary tradition, showing how English writers used Platonic themes and images within their own imaginative work. Source texts include Plato's Dialogues, and the writings of Neoplatonists and the early Christians who were largely responsible for assimilating Platonic ideas into a Christian culture; and there are essays on more than thirty English authors from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, including Shakespeare, Milton, Blake, Wordsworth, Yeats, Pound and Iris Murdoch. Each chronological section has its own introduction to highlight how every age has reconstructed Platonism to suit its own understanding of the world, and there is a bibliographical guide to further reading. Established experts and new writers over a range of disciplines have worked together to produce the first comprehensive overview of Platonism in English literature.

One of a series designed to motivate and encourage students who may be working on certain writers for the first time. Each text includes notes to explain literary and historical allusions, tasks to help students explore themes and issues, and suggestions for further reading.