Textual Subjectivity: The Encoding of Subjectivity in Medieval Narratives and Lyrics. By A. C. Spearing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Pp. viii + 273. $95.

Hoccleve attributed to "fadir Chaucer . . the swetnesse / Of rethorik." Lydgate gushed that Chaucer "had such a name | Of fayre making that was without wene | Fayrest in our tongue." Longfellow called Chaucer "the poet of the dawn, who wrote | the Canterbury tales, and his old age | Made beautiful with song." This appreciation of the eloquence that may be achieved by a great poet lingers in the medieval studies classroom, as teachers encourage their students to enjoy sublime moments not only in the works of Chaucer, but also in the those of the Pearl poet, in various lyrics and plays, and in Piers Plowman. Outside the classroom, academic assessments of medieval poetry are somewhat different.

David Raybin
Eastern Illinois University