Life in Words: Essays on Chaucer, the Gawain-Poet, and Malory

‘Each essay testifies to Mann’s incomparable close reading skills and enviable erudition, reflecting a careful attention to French and Latin sources over a lifetime of thinking about medieval English literature and language.’

T.S. Miller, Sixteenth Century Journal vol 46:03:2015

‘Life in Words is a well-rounded look into Jill Mann’s catalogue… It provides unique and novel arguments to century-old discussions.’

Caitlin Santavenere, Comitatus vol 47:2016

“Jill Mann is the best reader and critic of Middle English literature of her generation. I have never read anything by her which left me unenlightened or uninspired by the activity of intelligence at the highest level. Rasmussen’s introductory essay is not only a measured assessment of Mann’s work as a critic: it also places that work, with great skill and learning, in the context of the history and development of criticism over the past thirty years.” Derek Pearsall, Gurney Professor of English Literature Emeritus, Harvard University

“The essays in Life in Words are models of sensitive close reading, impeccable scholarship, and beautiful and accessible writing. Mark David Rasmussen has made an intelligent and coherent selection from Jill Mann’s publications and manages both to introduce the individual pieces and to indicate the achievement they represent.” Ad Putter, Professor of Medieval English Literature, University of Bristol