The Making of Middle English, 1765-1910
- Author / Editor
- Matthews, David.
The Making of Middle English, 1765-1910
- Published
- Minneapolis and London : University of Minnesota Press, 1999.
- Physical Description
- xxxviii, 231 pp.
- Series
- Medieval Cultures, no. 18.
- Description
- Assesses the roots and development of Middle English studies as a reflection of antiquarian and nationalistic impulses. Traces the growth of English medievalism from Bishop Thomas Percy to Frederick Furnivall and focuses on the impact of individual scholars, literary societies, and the material history of Middle English--editions, commentaries, membership records of societies, etc. Considers the politics of editing, canon formation, philological periodization, and related issues, discussing in detail the reception of Chaucer and the activities of the Chaucer Society. Usually treated separately from other Middle English literature, which was thought barbarous, the works of Chaucer were consistently regarded highly for their perceived modernism, morality, or Englishness.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Background and General Criticism.
- Language and Word Studies.