Essays on Arthurian themes, on Beowulf, Chaucer and Shakespeare, and textual studies of Gower and others. These essays for Shunichi Noguchi, by scholars from Britain, the USA and Japan, reflect his approach to English studies and his wide range of interests from Beowulf to Ulysses. The principal focus, however, is on medieval and renaissance studies: nine of the essays are on Arthurian themes, to which Professor Noguchi has devoted his academic life. There are also essays on Beowulf, Chaucer, the York miracle plays, and Shakespeare, as well as textual studies of Gower, Wulfstan, Wycliffe and Caxton. Contributors: SHUICHI AITA, SHINSUKE ANDO, DEREK BREWER, ANTONY DICKINSON, P.J.C. FIELD, KAZUO FUKUDA, EIICHI HAYAKAWA, TADAHIRO IKEGAMI, MIKIKO ISHII, SOUJIIWASAKI, GREGORY K. JEMBER, TOMOMI KATO, EDWARD DONALD KENNEDY,TADAO KUBOUCHI, JOHN LAWLOR, KIYOKAZU MIZOBATA, GEORGE MOOR, TSUYOSHI MUKAI, YUJI NAKAO, FUMIKO OKA, YUZUYO OKUMURA, ISAMU SAITO, SHIRO SHIBA, JAN SIMKO, JUN SUDO, TAKASHI SUZUKI, TOSHIYUKI TAKAMIYA, RAYMOND P. TRIPP.

This collection of new essays on Arthurian themes contains one on Layamon, two on Chretien, and one on Victorian art. They are as follows: Oliver Goulden, 'Erec et Enide': The Central Section The opening and closing sections of Erec et Enide have always attracted critical attention: Dr Goulden argues that the central section, often neglected, is crucial to our understanding of the poem.Claude Luttrell, The Arthurian Hunt with a White Bratchet:The theme of the hunt with a magical hound is found from the Mabinogion to Malory, and this essay charts its gradual change from the supernatural.W.R.J.Barron and Francoise Le Saux, Aspects of Layamon's Narrative Art: Layamon's Arthurian epic has been regarded as little more than a lively translation of Wace, here his different approach to narrative is examined, and shown to be an original aspect of his work.Christine Poulson, Arthurian Legend in Fine and Applied Art of the 19th and early 20th Centuries: A Catalogue of Artists:Following the bibliographies of modern Arthurian writing in earlier volumes, Dr Poulson presents a catalogue of visual materials. A list by subject will appear in Volume X.

This volume of essays is aimed at advancing the appreciation of Malory, an author who has always been enjoyed by the common reader, but is still sometimes underestimated by the critics. Despite an increasing number of articles on Malory, there is a need for a general survey of recent research, whichl> Aspects of Malory /l>provides. The volume opens with a note by the late Professor Vinaver on Malory's prose, and three essays on Malory's Englishness and his English sources, including an essay by P. J. C. Field which argues for an English rather than a French origin for the l>Tale of Gareth/l>. This is followed by two essays on Malory's French sources, by Jill Mann and Mary Hynes-Berry. Therence McCarthy re-exasmines the sequence of the tales, and three further essays look at the scribal and textual tradition of Malory's work, in particular the relationship between the Winchester MS, Caxton's printed version, and the history of the MS. Finally, Richard R. Griffith reconsiders the authorship question, and proposes a long-forgotten Thomas Malory as the most likely candidate. There is a bibliography of recent research compiled by Professor Takamiya .Full of sound scholarship'. TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENTVolume of essays aimed at advancing the appreciation of Malory and providing a general survey of critical research; topics covered include Malory's sources, both French and English, the scribal and texual tradition of his work, and the question of authorship.

Continuing its policy of publishing extended explorations of Arthurian subjects, this eighth volume of Arthurian Literature contains four articles. Elizabeth Archibald addresses the reasons for the insertion of the story of Mordred's incestuous birth into many versions of the Arthurian legend (including Malory's) from the early 13th century on, and follows its development from the Vulgate Cycle to later Arthurian narratives. The use of irony to point up aspects of the Lancelot-Guinevere relationship in the prologue to Le Chavalier de la Charrete is explored by Jan Janssens. The early 13th-century Romance of Fergus is introduced and translated by D.D.R. Owen, who finds it of special interest not just because of its uniquely Scottish setting, but also because its use of parody foreshadows later medieval comedy; Scottish concerns also figure in Edward Donald Kennedy's discussion of the 15th-century chronicler John Hardyng's use of the story of Galahad's grail quest, and the changes he made.