The Wars of Alexander

The Wars of Alexander is a Middle English poem of the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century, preserved in part in two northern manuscripts, Bodley MS Ashmole 44 and Trinity College Dublin MS 213. It is based on the popular Latin account of Alexander the Great, the Historia de Preliis.

The quality of The Wars of Alexander has been widely recognized, but this is the first critical edition, taking account of the readings of the two manuscripts, the relationship of the poem to its source, and the poet's metrical practice. The introduction discusses the manuscripts, the different versions of the Latin source, the metre of the poem, its language and dialect, and the editorial principles employed. The text is accompanied by the variant readings. There are full explanatory notes and
a comprehensive glossary.

Summary

This Middle English poem of the late 14th or early 15th century is of Alexander the Great, the "Historia de Preliis", preserved in part in the two northern manuscripts and this book takes account of the readings, the relationship of the poem to its source and its metrical practice.

Additional text

`the arguments are presented scrupulously and in details, and the evidence of the resulting text suggests that the editors are right to offer readings which in their judgement are more authentic than those contained in the manuscripts. The account of the principles and procedures used is clear and illuminating and extremely interesting; it raises issues about the metrical system of alliterative verse which require to be pursued further by scholars working with other alliterative material. The annotation is generous and helful, and the glossary clearly and logically arranged.
Review of English

Product details

• Assisted by: H.N. Duggan (Editor), Hoyt N (Person) Duggan (Editor), Hoyt N. Duggan (Editor), T Turville-Petre (Editor), T. Turville-Petre (Editor), Thorlac Turville-Petre (Editor)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 20.07.1989
• EAN: 9780197224106
• ISBN: 978-0-19-722410-6
• No. of pages: 460
• Weight: 688 g
• Illustrations: 2 illustrations
• Series: Early English Text Society Supplementary Series; Early English Text Society Supplementary Series
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama > Poetry; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies