LOUISE M. SYLVESTER is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Central England, Birmingham, UK.

• Constructing the Heterosexual Contract Romance and Rape The Sadistic Hero Dynamics of Consensual Heterosex Romance Debased

"This study makes a significant and needed contribution to Chaucer studies. It provides an attractive application of close linguistic analysis to discuss central medieval texts including Chaucer, in the context of current interests in gender and sexuality. Filled with precise and measurable observations - sometimes counter-intuitive- it lays down a marker for less textually observant theoretical approaches. It is written with verve and style, engages with issues of topical interest and encourages a sharp, intellectual approach to the text - not only of Chaucer, but of often neglected medieval romances." - Rosalind Field, Royal Holloway University of London