Twelve essays address a central concern of medieval romance, the matter of identity. Identity is a central concern of medieval romance. Here it is approached through essays on issues of origin and parentage, transformation and identity, and fundamental questions of what constitutes the human. The construction of knightly identity through education and testing is explored, and placed in relation to female identity; the significance of the motif of doubling is studied. Shifting perceptions of identities are traced through the histories of specific texts, and the identity of romance itself is the subject of several essays discussing ideas of genre (the overlap between romance and hagiography is a theme linking a number of articles in the collection). Medieval romanceis shown as a marketable commodity in the printed output of William Copland, and as an opportunity for literary experimentation in the work of John Metham. The texts discussed include: Chevalere Assigne, Sir Gowther, Sir Ysumbras, Beves of Hamtoun, Robert of Cisyle, the Fierabras romances, Breton lays, Thomas's Tristan and Marie de France's Eliduc. Contributors: W.A. DAVENPORT, JOANNE CHARBONNEAU, CORINNE SAUNDERS, AMANDA HOPKINS, MORGAN DICKSON, MARIANNE AILES, JUDITH WEISS, JOHN SIMONS, RHIANNON PURDIE, MALDWYN MILLS, A.S.G. EDWARDS, ROGER DALRYMPLE.

Looking at zoological gardens, private menageries, circuses, and natural history museums, this fascinating account explores the surprising extent of the exotic-animal trade in 19th-century England and its colonies. Filled with entertaining anecdotes--from the tiger that prowled down St. George's Street in London with a boy in its mouth and the polar bear that killed a dog in Liverpool to the kangaroos hopping around the lawns of stately homes and the boa constrictor who got loose in Tunbridge Wells--this book also shares how the animals played a key role in the project to ensure that leisure was educational. As it demonstrates how the trade was intimately connected with the tides of Empire, it will be of interest to academics and general readers alike.

A light-hearted account of an improbable side of Victorian England, this history tells of the pet wombat owned by Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the late-19th century fad of owning Australian animals as pets. This examination also looks at the way a wombat participated in the delicate relationships between the men and women in the Pre-Raphaelite circle--particularly Rossetti's emotional affair with Jane Morris, wife of his friend and colleague William. Fully illustrated with drawings and etchings of the period, this work will appeal to those with an interest in Victorian England, the Pre-Raphaelites, as well as wombat lovers the world over.

This title was first published in 2002. "Moderatus" was an Elizabethan romance, probably the first published work of the 16th-century Welsh gentleman Robert Parry; it was produced in 1595 by the bookseller, publisher, and printer Richard Jones. In this volume John Simons offers in modern typography an edition of this now-scarce text, with explanatory notes and an extensive introduction that places the work in its historical context. He also presents what biographical information is known about the author of "Moderatus" and what is known of the book's publication history, and discusses such pertinent issues as the travel experience of Elizabethans, their knowledge of other languages than English, and their experience of translating and translations. Simons demonstrates how works like "Moderatus" do impel us to look more carefully at the inter-relationships of writers and readers and teach us a good deal about the habits of mind which those readers brought to more familiar texts.

This title was first published in 2002. "Moderatus" was an Elizabethan romance, probably the first published work of the 16th-century Welsh gentleman Robert Parry; it was produced in 1595 by the bookseller, publisher, and printer Richard Jones. In this volume John Simons offers in modern typography an edition of this now-scarce text, with explanatory notes and an extensive introduction that places the work in its historical context. He also presents what biographical information is known about the author of "Moderatus" and what is known of the book's publication history, and discusses such pertinent issues as the travel experience of Elizabethans, their knowledge of other languages than English, and their experience of translating and translations. Simons demonstrates how works like "Moderatus" do impel us to look more carefully at the inter-relationships of writers and readers and teach us a good deal about the habits of mind which those readers brought to more familiar texts.

Noted poet Jorge Lujan and South Africa's illustrious illustrator Piet Grobler teamed up to produce this exquisite celebration of color. As day turns into night, we are given fleeting, evocative glimpses of the qualities inherent in a range of colors. An antelope and some children are pictured inhabiting this delicate world. This bilingual, bicultural book presents us with a beautiful vision of a planet in which nature, words, and the rising and setting of the sun and the moon exist in harmony. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5 Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

The book surveys medieval literature from both a critical and an historical standpoint. Medieval literature is increasingly seen as an area of intense specialism which is to be treated differently from other areas of English studies. The essays collected here try to overturn this perception in two ways. Firstly, there is a demonstration of the ways in which modern critical approaches and perspectives work with the medieval text. Secondly, the idea of the medieval is shown, historically, to be a discourse which has been given different symbolic values and served different social purposes. In the first half of the book will be found essays on feminist and structural approaches to the medieval text as well as a polemical evaluation of post-structuralist criticism and an introduction to modern approaches to manuscript studies. In the second half medievalism is analyzed through case studies from the Renaissance, the 18th-century and the 19th-century.

For the first time, fish became our companions and a corner of many a Victorian parlour was given over to housing tiny fragments of their world enclosed in glass. The experience of seeing a fish swimming in a glass tank is one we take for granted now but in Victorian England this was a remarkable sight. People had simply not been able to see fish as they could with the invention of the aquarium and everything that went with it. Goldfish in the Parlour looks at the Victorian-era boom in the building of public aquariums, as well as the craze for home aquariums and visiting the seaside. Furthermore, this book considers how people see and meet animals and, importantly, in what institutions and in what contexts these encounters happen. John Simons uncovers the sweeping consequences of the Victorian obsession with marine animals by looking at naturalist Frank Bucklands Museum of Economic Fish Culture and the role of fish in the Victorian economy, the development of angling as a sport divided along class lines, the seeding of Empire with British fish and comparisons with aquarium building in Europe, USA and Australia. Goldfish in the Parlour interrogates the craze that took over Victorian England when aquariums introduced fish to parks, zoos and parlours.

These artful new translations of nine of Schnitzler's most important stories and novellas reinforce the Viennese author's remarkable achievement.