This groundbreaking interdisciplinary collection of essays by American, British, and Iberian scholars examines the literary, historical, and artistic exchanges between England and Iberia from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Ranging from analyses of royal marriages and political alliances to examinations of literary, artistic, and religious interactions, these essays demonstrate the importance of Anglo-Iberian relationships both in and of themselves and in the larger context of developments in Medieval Europe. They also suggest further avenues for research in an area of study that deserves greater scholarly attention. Scholars and students interested in England and Iberia or in comparative studies of Medieval Europe will want to read this book.

Gower's preoccupation with the authority of fathers (and of kings) employed to illustrate his relation to his text. Fathers and daughters are central to some of the most significant tales in Gower's poem. Using feminist and anthropological approaches, Bullon-Fernandez argues that father-daughter relationships, and the associated theme of incestthat they sometimes suggest, enable Gower to examine authority relationships in three interconnected spheres: family, state, and text. She suggests that Gower perceived the relationships between kings and subjects and between authors and texts as similar to paternal relationships with a daughter; and further, that Gower regarded the law of exogamy as at the core of patriarchal society. As a father may not commit incest with his daughter and a king may notabuse his authority, so the writer (as in "Pygmaleon and the Statue"), must curb his desire to control the meaning of his creation. Thus, even as he is concerned with the limits of authority in the familial, political and textualrealms, Gower also exposes the inherently transgressive nature of such authority. Dr MARIA BULLON-FERNANDEZ is Assistant Professor of Middle English literature, Seattle University.

This groundbreaking interdisciplinary collection of essays by American, British, and Iberian scholars examines the literary, historical, and artistic exchanges between England and Iberia from the Twelfth to Fifteenth century.