An Introduction to The Gawain-Poet

The late 14th century produced a crop of brilliant writers: Chaucer, Langland and Gower. Their achievement was rivalled only by a series of four works generally agreed to have been written by a single northern author, known as the <i>Gawain</i>-Poet. This book introduces the reader to the <i>Gawain</i>-Poets four surviving works: <i>Sir Gawain and the Green Knight</i>, <i>Patience</i>, <i>Pearl</i> and <i>Cleanness</i>. The four poems are made accessible to the student by setting them in their relevant historical and cultural context and by developing some lines of critical argument. All studies are based on the authors own research and translations.