The Oxford English Literary History
Volume I: 1000-1350: Conquest and Transformation
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:2nd Dec '21
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£52.00(9780199575381)

This comprehensive account explores literary evolution from 1000 to 1350, detailing cultural and political transformations in The Oxford English Literary History.
In The Oxford English Literary History, readers are invited to explore a comprehensive narrative of literary evolution that spans over a thousand years. This volume focuses specifically on the period from 1000 to 1350, a time marked by significant cultural, literary, social, and political transformations. It delves into how these changes influenced the literary landscape, offering insights into the authors and works that emerged during this era.
The book presents thirteen volumes, each crafted by leading scholars who provide thoughtful assessments of the notable figures and ideas that shaped the literary voices of their time. The series aims to enlighten and inspire not only students and researchers in English Literature but also all those who appreciate serious literary study. By examining the interconnections between various cultural shifts, The Oxford English Literary History highlights how literature reflects and responds to the broader societal context.
The narrative details a significant transition in themes and philosophies, including the shift in theological focus from God the Father to the suffering Christ, and the emergence of individualism in literature. It discusses the evolution of concepts such as love, morality, and kingship, showcasing how these elements interweave with the political landscape, particularly in England following the Magna Carta. Overall, this volume provides a rich, interconnected account of literary history that is both enlightening and thought-provoking.
Plenty of textual examples, summary and background information is offered to familiarize readers with this strange and distant set of fictions and the details on how and why they were produced, and how the more impactful of these texts altered culture. The scholarly narrative is very polished and delivers the information readers need to comprehend the intricacies of this subject. * Anna Faktorovich, Pennsylvania Literary Journal *
Ashe's sure-handed and vigorous translations, particularly those from French, are one of the delights of this volume. The extensiveness of the quotations draws attention to the remarkable literary production "in all three English languages", especially in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. ... The enduring contribution of Conquest and Transformation is its demonstration that "English writers were in the vanguard of new literary developments - narrative fiction, the romance, vernacular historiography - and made great contributions to the transformative theories of selfhood, interiority, and the will, to the emergence of affective piety, and to the theology and secular expression and celebration of love". * Daniel Donoghue, Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780192859105
Dimensions: 215mm x 133mm x 25mm
Weight: 590g
492 pages