English Poetry Before Chaucer

Michael Swanton is Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Exeter

• Preface1. Introduction: Anxiety and Assertion2. Until the Dragon Comes Widsith, Deor, Waldere, The Fight at Finnsburh and Beowulf3. Verbum de Verbo Caedmon's Creation-Hymn, Genesis A, Exodus and The Dream of the Rood4. The Ruin of Time The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Ruin and The Phoenix, 1125. A Certain Heroism Guthlac A, Judith, The Battle of Maldon and Layamon's Brut6. Things That Falleth to Ribaudrie Havelok, Sir Tristrem, Floris and Blauncheflur and Madam Sirith and the Weeping Bitch7. Song and Singer Foweles in pe Frith, Lenten is Come with Love to Town, The Fair Maid of Ribblesdale, Thomas of Hales' Love-Song, Gabriel's Greeting to the Virgin Mary, Ubi Sount Qui Ante Nos Fuerount, The Follies of Fashion, A Song of Lewes, The Thrush and the Nightingale and The Owl and the NightingaleEpilogue: The Equal HourAppendix: Early English ProsodyChronologyFurther ReadingWriters, their Works and Sources(i) Writers and writings in English(ii) Writers and writings in languages other than EnglishIndex

A particular strength of Swanton’s book is that he has trained as a historian and archaeologist and brings this expertise to bear on his literary pursuits. Consequently, his writings are characterised by solid historical commentary, wtinessed in this volume by his annotations to each chapter, his chronological charts and summaries, and the section “Writers, their works and the sources”.