Medieval Literary Theory and Criticism c.1100-c.1375: The Commentary-Tradition

by David John Wallace

This anthology of newly-translated texts covers the single most important branch of medieval literary theory and criticism--the commentary tradition--in one of the most significant periods of its development. Fully annotated with notes and introductions, the selections encompass a wide range of topics--including authorship, ethics, symbolism, biography, poetics, allegory, and semiotics--and represent many important writers--including Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Grosseteste, Abelard, and Peter Lombard.

Genres: Medieval

560 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

David Wallace studied at York and Cambridge. Currently Judith Rodin Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, he has held visiting positions at Jerusalem, Melbourne, London, and Princeton. He has served as President of the New Chaucer Society, is currently Second Vice President of the Medieval Academy of America, and has made a series of documentaries for BBC Radio 3. He most recently published Europe: A Literary History, 1348-1418 (2016) and Strong Women (2012), both with OUP.