Death and Violence in Old and Middle English Literature

Description: Gauges the degree of "heroism" in death scenes in a variety of narratives, considering in individual chapters "The Battle of Maldon," "Beowulf" and "Judith," Layamon's "Brut," the "Alliterative Morte Arthure," the death of Arcite in KnT, the "near-death experience" in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and several death scenes in Malory's "Le Morte Darthur." The later works question the heroic ethos and reflect a particular horror of death. Foreword by Sarah L. Higley.