1st Edition

The Pearl An Interpretation

By P.M. Kean Copyright 1967
    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    Originally published in 1967 The Pearl looks at the anonymous fourteenth century poet of Pearl. The book argues that the poem ranks in importance and interest with that of Chaucer and Langland, but suggests that it has always proved more difficult to approach to the modern reader. The aim of this book is to clear away some of the difficulty through a close examination of the material the poet had to draw on, and the poet’s use of this in the organisation of the poem. The main themes are established through detailed analysis of the poem, which is seen as much more than either a lament for an individual or the mere figurative presentation of an idea.

    Preface

    Part I: Proem

    1. Purpose and Structure

    2. The Garden of Loss

    3. Images of Transformation

    Part II: The Dream

    4. The Earthly Paradise

    5. Encounter

    6. Symbols of Perfection

    Part III: The Revelation

    7. Less and More

    8. The Heavenly City

    Part IV: Coda

    Index

    Biography

    P.M. Kean