'This book can be approached as a treasury of close readings of the Gawain group and related Middle English alliterative romances, with attention to sources, representation, and locality. On that basis, the book deserves praise, indeed gratitude, for its interpretive precision.' Eric Weiskott, Modern Philology '[Offers] an informative summary of Turville-Petre's body of work and provides a critical anthology of vivid passages of alliterative description . Elegantly written and intellectually engaging.' Alex Mueller, The Review of English Studies "Thorlac Turville-Petre is one of our most important scholars of Middle English alliterative verse [.] offers an informative summary of Turville-Petre's body of work and provides a critical anthology of vivid passages of alliterative description." Alex Mueller, The Review of English Studies "Thorlac Turville-Petre has produced a vade mecum for readers of Middle English alliterative poetry. The most important poems all receive attention.
Two preliminary chapters define the corpus and introduce readers to its language and form. The bibliography lists preferred editions. Yet this is not a companion in the sense popularized by Cambridge University Press and Boydell & Brewer. A new 'companion to Middle English alliterative poetry' would be welcome, but Turville-Petre offers something more interesting: he reads the poems. His subject is poetic technique, especially descriptive technique and the way that descriptions sit within the flow of narrative." Ian Cornelius, Anglia "The book as a whole is the work of a scholar immersed in the corpus of late-medieval alliterative verse. Turville-Petre's command of the material is impressive and the texts are lovingly described in clear and crisp prose. That alliterative poets excel at descriptio is a commonplace of criticism, and this study will provoke further analysis of their context and rhetoric.
" Richard J. Moll, The Medieval Review "[The book offers] meticulous case studies of authorial technique with much relevant historical detail. Discussion of sound symbolism is laudably precise and informative. [.] Glossed illustrative passages are provided throughout to maintain contact with a large potential audience. [.] The overall quality of the book cannot be ignored. This is an outstanding work of literary analysis.
" Geoffrey Russom, Brown University.