Pearl (E.V. Gordon)
Pearl | |
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Editor | E.V. Gordon |
Publisher | Clarendon Press, Oxford |
Released | June 11, 1953 |
Format | Hardcover; paperback |
Pages | 186 |
Pearl is an edition of the Middle English manuscript Pearl, edited by E.V. Gordon. It was first published in 1953.
Originally Pearl was planned to be edited by E.V. Gordon and J.R.R. Tolkien, like they did with their previous work Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. But Tolkien couldn't give enough time to it, so Gordon continued the work alone. At his death in 1938 the work was almost complete, and his wife I.L. Gordon helped finish editing it and published it in 1953.
Nevertheless, Tolkien contributed notes and corrections to the book, and provided a part of the introduction ("Form and Purpose", pp. xi–xix). "Form and Purpose" was reprinted as part III of the Introduction to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo (pp. 18-23).
From the inside flap[edit | edit source]
This is a new edition of the fourteenth century alliterative poem Pearl, which, though generally regarded as one of the greatest of medieval poems, has suffered neglect of late years, since earlier editions have long been out of print. The text is more conservative than in earlier editions. The introduction includes an analysis of the form and purpose of the poem, a discussion of the doctrinal theme and the symbolism, and a survey of the dialect. There are explanatory notes, a glossary with etymologies, linguistic appendixes, and a selected bibliography. Emphasis throughout is on the poem itself: more general controversial topics, and speculations, are avoided.
Publication history and gallery[edit | edit source]
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- The Clarendon Press, hardcover (1953), pp. 186
- 1953 first edition, 4th impression (1966), ISBN 019811379X
- The Clarendon Press, paperback (1980), ISBN 0198126751
External links[edit | edit source]
- E.V. Gordon's Pearl on Tolkienguide.com
- Pearl on Archive.org
Books by E.V. Gordon | ||
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Co-edited with J.R.R. Tolkien | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | |
With Tolkien's involvement | Published during his lifetime | An Introduction to Old Norse · The Battle of Maldon |
Published posthumously | Pearl · The Seafarer |