This book presents an introduction to the key texts and historical, cultural and critical contexts of medieval romance. "Medieval English Romance in Context" is a clear, accessible and concise introduction to medieval English verse romantic texts and their wider contexts. It begins by introducing key issues and events that impacted on romance writing and its reception such as chivalric ideals, the Black Death, wars and 'Englishness' as well as key literary issues such as medieval manuscript production and its transmission. Close readings of key texts - including "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Breton lays and Chaucer's "The Man of Law's Tale" - highlight generic features and issues like family drama, space and time, and nationhood. The final section introduces key critical interpretations from different perspectives including gender and queer theory, and post-colonialism in medieval studies. A chapter on afterlives and adaptations explores reinterpretations of medieval romance and the Arthurian cycles in a range of popular texts and narratives from Doctor Who to Batman. 'Review, Reading and Research' sections give suggestions for further reading, discussion and research. Introducing texts, contexts and criticism, this is a lively and up-to-date resource for anyone studying Medieval English Romance. "Texts and Contexts" is a series of clear, concise and accessible introductions to key literary fields and concepts. The series provides the literary, critical, historical context for texts and authors in a specific literary area in a way that introduces a range of work in the field and enables further independent study and reading.

This fresh and comprehensive guide to Chaucer's most famous poem "The Canterbury Tales" introduces readers to Chaucer's life and times and reconsiders both the impact and the context of its inception. It carefully details Chaucer's cultural and literary world, as well as reviewing the publishing history of the Tales and examining some of the issues surrounding the nature of the material production of medieval texts. In addition, it raises matters of 'Englishness' and Chaucer's choice of the vernacular in which to write his works. A highly-readable survey of the critical reception of the Tales, from early responses to recent critical perspectives, works together with a series of exemplary, close readings of key tales and ideas to explore questions such as narrative voice, genre, language and form, gender and authority. This introduction to the text is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on: literary and historical context; language, style and form; reading "The Canterbury Tales"; critical reception and publishing history; adaptation and interpretation; and, further reading. Continuum Reader's Guides are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

Detailed textual analysis of the tales by the Miller, Nun's Priest, the Wife of Bath and the Pardoner, as well as the General Prologue invites you to sharpen your critical faculties, extend your knowledge and engage with the text itself in order to fully appreciate the work of this fascinating, complex and surprisingly modern writer. Whether you consider yourself an expert or a student, this study has something for you as it demonstrates the various approaches which can be used to learn about style, structure, multiple voices and the key themes of Chaucer's work. It offers a careful support and thoughtful framework upon which to base your own analysis and challenging you to form your own ideas and opinions.

A fascinating journey into the secret life of insects, with QR codes to video and audio to bring the creatures to life. Just as birds have yearly rhythms, so do insects, bees, beetles and butterflies. Wildlife experts Dominic Couzens and Gail Ashton discover 52 minibeasts from around the world, every week of the year. They tell the story of what is happening week-by-week in the insect world, in our own backyards and just outside our patio doors. From the daily grind of the house spider building a new web each morning, to the vast appetites of ladybirds, which can devour hundreds of aphids a day, and the glory of the Stag beetle's maiden flight. We delve into the world of the lethal Sydney funnelweb spider in Australian gardens, the migratory mission of the Monarch butterfly in America and the life of the backdoor scorpions in South Africa. In amongst the seasonal behaviour, the authors have woven history and folkloric tales – from Cardinal Wolsey's fear of spiders to how flies can solve murders. These brilliant stories are complemented by wonderful, commissioned illustrations that bring out the beauty of the entomological world. A QR code for each entry takes you to a video or audio file to further explore the habits of these intriguing creatures. A book for any nature lover to reveal the true wonder of our insect neighbours.

In this interdisciplinary and boundary-breaking study, Gail Ashton examines the portrayals of women saints in a wide range of medieval texts. She deploys the French feminist critical theory of Cixous and Iriguray to illuminate these depictions of women by men and to further our understanding of both the lives and deeds of female saints and the contemporary, and almost always male, attitudes to them.

In this interdisciplinary and boundary-breaking study, Gail Ashton examines the portrayals of women saints in a wide range of medieval texts. She deploys the French feminist critical theory of Cixous and Iriguray to illuminate these depictions of women by men and to further our understanding of both the lives and deeds of female saints and the contemporary, and almost always male, attitudes to them.

A photographic identification guide to 150 species of garden insect most commonly found in Britain and North-West Europe. Packed with information, written with huge enthusiasm and illustrated with incredible close-up photos, this guide shines a spotlight on the insects in your garden. The introduction covers how to attract insects to your garden, the insect lover's year, a description of the parts of an insect and details of the insect orders described. For each species there is a keenly observed description to help you identify even the smallest creature, as well as one or two photographs labelled with distinguishing features. There are details of its life cycle from egg to adult, a calendar showing the time of year when the adult can be seen and star facts that give further proof of insects' fascinating lives.

What Rain Taught Us follows a mind fracturing into a subjective landscape of association, reflection and invention, where words, images and conflicting voices tumble and echo almost to the point of destruction. But, gradually, islands of stability form. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

Gail Ashton's Not the Sky - a memoir up-ends a West Midlands working-class childhood and chaotic family to re-imagine the present. -- Welsh Books Council

With contributions from 29 leading international scholars, this is the first single-volume guide to the appropriation of medieval texts in contemporary culture. Medieval Afterlives in Contemporary Culture covers a comprehensive range of media, including literature, film, TV, comic book adaptations, electronic media, performances, and commercial merchandise and tourism. Its lively chapters range from Spamalot to the RSC, Beowulf to Merlin, computer games to internet memes, opera to Young Adult fiction and contemporary poetry, and much more. Also included is a companion website at https://medievalafterlives.wordpress.com/ aimed at general readers, academics, and students interested in the burgeoning field of medieval afterlives, complete with: - Further reading/weblinks - 'My favourite' guides to contemporary medieval appropriations - Images and interviews - Guide to library archives and manuscript collections - Guide to heritage collection

In Meet Me There, ten Cinnamon writers talk about writing to celebrate the press's tenth anniversary. Each essay explores the ways in which place and location is central to the author's work, focussing on place in work published by Cinnamon Press and offer into ways in which notions of place are integral to all kinds of writing, all kinds of readers, all kinds of writers. -- Publisher: Cinnamon Press

This book presents an introduction to the key texts and historical, cultural and critical contexts of medieval romance. "Medieval English Romance in Context" is a clear, accessible and concise introduction to medieval English verse romantic texts and their wider contexts. It begins by introducing key issues and events that impacted on romance writing and its reception such as chivalric ideals, the Black Death, wars and 'Englishness' as well as key literary issues such as medieval manuscript production and its transmission. Close readings of key texts - including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Breton lays and Chaucer's The Man of Law's Tale - highlight generic features and issues like family drama, space and time, and nationhood. The final section introduces key critical interpretations from different perspectives including gender and queer theory, and post-colonialism in medieval studies. A chapter on afterlives and adaptations explores reinterpretations of medieval romance and the Arthurian cycles in a range of popular texts and narratives from Doctor Who to Batman. 'Review, Reading and Research' sections give suggestions for further reading, discussion and research. Introducing texts, contexts and criticism, this is a lively and up-to-date resource for anyone studying Medieval English Romance. "Texts and Contexts" is a series of clear, concise and accessible introductions to key literary fields and concepts. The series provides the literary, critical, historical context for texts and authors in a specific literary area in a way that introduces a range of work in the field and enables further independent study and reading.

This fresh and comprehensive guide to Chaucer's most famous poem "The Canterbury Tales" introduces readers to Chaucer's life and times and reconsiders both the impact and the context of its inception. It carefully details Chaucer's cultural and literary world, as well as reviewing the publishing history of the Tales and examining some of the issues surrounding the nature of the material production of medieval texts. In addition, it raises matters of 'Englishness' and Chaucer's choice of the vernacular in which to write his works. A highly-readable survey of the critical reception of the Tales, from early responses to recent critical perspectives, works together with a series of exemplary, close readings of key tales and ideas to explore questions such as narrative voice, genre, language and form, gender and authority. This introduction to the text is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on: literary and historical context; language, style and form; reading "The Canterbury Tales"; critical reception and publishing history; adaptation and interpretation; and, further reading. Continuum Reader's Guides are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.