New Directions in Oral Theory: Essays on Ancient and Medieval Literatures. Edited by Mark C. Amodio. Medieval and Renaissance texts and Studies, 287. Tempe, Arizona: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2005. Pp. x + 341. $40.

This welcome collection lives up to its title in charting new directions in the application of oral theory to classical and medieval texts. Though the individual contributions understand orality in quite different ways, the common theme throughout is that orality and literacy are not absolute, incompatible states but forces that co-exist in productive tension.

Paul Battles
Hanover College