MHRA Publication

Glynnis M. Cropp, New Zealand Journal of French Studies 22.1, 2001, 29
‘A fascinating and wide-ranging overview from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries of the literary use of testamentary writing in French.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies XL.1, 2004, 98

Published December 2000

Between Sequence and Sirventes: Aspects of Parody in the Troubadour Lyric
Catherine Léglu
Research Monographs in French Studies 8

‘Provides a very interesting combination of comparative analysis of musical and textual borrowings, with the discussion of the wider background and referents of the troubadours. This approach enlightens a too-often forgotten corpus of poetry and also provides a fruitful methodological model.’ — Miriam Cabré, French Studies LVI.2, 2002, 221-94
‘An interesting study that considerably increases our appreciation of the complex relationships between secular and sacred song and between canons and clerics, troubadours and jongleurs, categories that have too long been separated by different academic disciplines.’ — Laura Kendrick, Speculum October, 2003, 1338-40
unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies xxxix/1, 2003, 107
‘An insightful analysis of a series of medieval Occitan parodies... Specialists and graduate students will find themselves doubly served by Léglu's careful research as well as by her patient development of complex issues.’ — Daniel E. O'Sullivan, French Review 76.3, 2003, 594-5
‘Die Arbeit hält, was sie eingangs verspricht: Verf. zeigt vielfältige Aspekte jener miteinander dialogisierenden Texte auf, die sich im Grenzbereich zwischen erbaulicher und weltlicher Dichtung bewegen. Über die Reihenfolge der jeweils besprochenen Aspekte sowie über ihre Bedeutung im Einzelfall liesse sich sicherlich diskutieren.’ — Michael Bernsen, Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie 119, 2003, 355-7
‘Brilliant readings of individual texts, as well as invaluable exposition of liturgical and other ecclesiastical material relevant to troubadour compositions.’ — Linda M. Paterson, Medium Aevum LXXII.1, 2003, 148-9
‘Apporte un point de vue qui contribuera à faire progresser notre connaissance des troubadours.’ — Peter Ricketts, Revue des Langues Romanes CVII/2, 2003, 501-3
Hendrikje Haufe, Zeitschrift für französische Sprache und Literatur 116.2, 2006, 199-200

Published May 2002

La Cort d'Amor: A Critical Edition
Edited by Matthew Bardell
Research Monographs in French Studies 11

‘Makes an important contribution to the study of medieval allegory and courtly love in general, as well as of the dissemination of Ovid in the Middle Ages. The narrative itself raises interesting questions concerning the relationship between literature in Occitan, Old French and Latin.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies XXXIX, 2003, 470
‘L'édition d'un texte relativement négligé est toujours la bienvenue, surtout lorsque celles qui l'ont précédée ne sont pas satisfaisantes. Il va de soi qui toute publication constituera un progrès et peut mener à la résolution des difficultés qui restent. Tel est le cas de La Cort d'Amor.’ — Peter Ricketts, Revue des Langues Romanes CVII/1, 2003, 211-27
‘This is an effective, accessible, and enlightening version of an often neglected and sadly misunderstood poem. It will undoubtedly lead specialists to consider further the dialogue between northern French and Occitan-speaking literary circles of the late twelfth century. It also shows the extent to which allegorical narratives prior to the Roman de la rose were exploring similar questions and problems.’ — Catherine Léglu, Speculum October 2004, 1028-30
‘As well as having a thought-provoking introduction, Bardell's edition comes with a carefully delineated statement of editorial principles ... let us hope that critics will indeed make the Cort d'Amor their own thanks to this admirable edition.’ — Francesca Nicholson, Modern Language Review 99.3, 2004, 772 (full text online)
‘Bardell's edition is the first reliable and complete one of the poem ... in highlighting the importance of the poem Bardell has opened the way for further study, particularly in the history and use of vernacular allegory and in the attitudes that the text propounds.’ — Leslie C. Brook, Medium Aevum LXXIII.i, 2004, 154-5
‘Zusammenfassend kann man sagen: solide Neuausgabe, die als Basis für den Cort d'Amor gelten kann und die Editionen von Constant und Jones ersetzt; gute literarische Einleitung; eine vertiefte sprachliche Analyse steht aber noch aus.’ — Max Pfister, Zeitschrift für romanische Sprache Bd. 120, Heft 3, 2004, 564-8
‘[Bardell's] reading of the allegory is sensitive and convincing. This challenging text has waited too long for a reliable edition. Bardell has advanced our understanding appreciably, but manifold uncertainties remain.’ — William D. Paden, French Studies 59.2, 2005, 225-26

Published February 2005

Two Old French Satires on the Power of the Keys: L'Escommeniement au lecheor and Le Pardon de foutre
Edited by Daron Burrows
Research Monographs in French Studies 18

‘The first of the two works edited here was published only in 1844; the second has never been edited until now... That these works should be known is undeniable. If it is unnecessary, or perhaps futile, to speak of their literary value, they are clearly interesting for other reasons. In particular, should anyone still need assurance that religion and the Church were fair game for medieval satirists, this volume should lay those doubts to rest.’ — Norris J. Lacy, French Review 82.1, 2009, 150-51

Published September 2005

The Object and the Cause in the Vulgate Cycle
Miranda Griffin
Legenda (General Series)

‘One notable quality of the book is its didactic aspect. Griffin takes time to define and explain precisely the complex notions she uses. She states clearly (sometimes excessively so) what she intends to do, balancing presentation of psychoanalytic concepts and examination of the Vulgate Cycle.’ — Michelle Szkilnik, Speculum January 2006, 193-94
‘If we can judge a book by its cover, Miranda Griffin's study wins top accolades: the blue and red of the cover design mimic precisely the prevalent colors of typical 13th-century Arthurian manuscript decorations, while the cover illustration of king dictating to scribe suggests authenticity and accountability both outside and within. Inside, the text is neatly organized into four cleverly titled chapters - see, for example, chapter 4: "Death, Doubles, and (De)composition - along with an Introduction and Conclusion... Her extraction of appropriate examples from the texts of the Vulgate Cycle and application of psychoanalytic theory to these episodes is surrounded by an ample survey of and response to the critical tradition in Arthurian studies.’ — Joan E. McRae, Encomia 28, 2006, 46-47
‘This is a highly accomplished and subtle analysis of the Vulgate Cycle that manages to negotiate successfully between primary material, the critical debates surrounding that material, and psychoanalytic theory. The difficulty of such an enterprise should not be underestimated. Griffin maintains throughout an impressive command of a large corpus... explanations of the psychoanalytic models she deploys are remarkably lucid, well-informed and to-the-point... New, impeccably researched and exciting perspectives on a highly complex corpus of texts.’ — Emma Campbell, The Medieval Review October 2008
‘This stimulating study springs from its author's observation of the striking parallels between psychoanalytic theories of human desire and the centuries-older Vulgate Cycle's complicated narration of the Arthurian Grail quest... The quest for wholeness that marks the Cycle is also, as Griffin cogently observes, paralleled by our own scholarly pursuit of a unified text and comprehensively coherent reading of this multilayered work - a reading that, perhaps despite its author's own intentions, this study quite effectively achieves.’ — Lisa H. Cooper, Arthuriana 16.4, 2006, 88-89
‘The critical encounter between psychoanalytic theory and medieval French literature has produced several stimulating texts in recent years, and Miranda Griffin's study of the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle is a welcome addition to the list.’ — Thomas Hinton, French Studies 62.4, 2008, 464-519

Published October 2006

La Disme de Penitanche by Jehan de Journi
Edited by Glynn Hesketh
Critical Texts 7

‘Au total, on se trouve devant une production éminemment estimable, dont il faut féliciter l'auteur ... On voudrait qu'il en fût plus souvent ainsi.’ — Claude Thiry, Les Lettres Romanes 61.1/2, 2007, 154
‘Students of vernacular penitential texts will welcome this edition, particularly as the editor provides extensive explanatory notes, interspersed with comments of linguistic interest.’ — Leslie C. Brook, Modern Language Review 103.2, 2008, 531 (full text online)
‘[Hesketh's] edition of La Disme de Penitanche cannot but become a joy to read, a philologist's delight!’ — Max Walkley, New Zealand Journal of French Studies 29.1, 2008, 55

Published February 2008

Ovide du remede d'amours
Edited by Tony Hunt
Critical Texts 15

‘This is a most carefully presented and legible edition ... The Notes themselves are rich in linguistic, literary and mythological information and useful commentary on salient translation techniques. A Glossary and Table of Proper Names complete this elegant edition.’ — J. Keith Atkinson, New Zealand Journal of French Studies 30.1, 2009, 45-46

Published July 2009

Istoire de la Chastelaine du Vergier
Edited by Jean-François Kosta-Théfaine
Critical Texts 9

Published April 2010

Dreams of Lovers and Lies of Poets: Poetry, Knowledge, and Desire in the Roman de la Rose
Sylvia Huot
Research Monographs in French Studies 31

‘In addition to its richly suggestive analysis of the complex relationship between sexuality and language in the Rose, Huot's study makes a distinctive contribution to criticism's long-standing quest after meaning in the poem.’ — Helen Swift, Medium Aevum 74, 2010
‘Huot’s argument is lively and cogent. This slim, persuasive book leaves little meaning in any claim that creative immersion in the ancients was unknown until the Renaissance. It gives us a richly polymorphous reading of the Rose.’ — William D. Paden, French Studies 65.4, 2011, 516
‘Sylvia Huot’s elegant study deftly traces how both Guillaume and Jean manipulate earlier authors, particularly Ovid, Boethius, and Virgil, to generate an exploration of the workings of sexual desire, a subject which can only ever be discussed imperfectly and implicitly.’ — Jonathan Morton, Modern Language Review 107.3, July 2012, 931-32 (full text online)

Published March 2011

Böece de Confort remanié: Edition critique
Edited by Glynnis M. Cropp
European Translations 1

‘Glynnis M. Cropp nous offre une édition soignée du Böece de Confort remanié.’ — Béatrice Stumpf, Revue de Linguistique Romane 303-4, 2012, 557-62
‘The Böece de Confort remanié marks the latest step in publishing the rich medieval French tradition of Boethius reception and is a fitting first volume in the MHRA European Translations series of valuable, affordable critical editions.’ — Helen J. Swift, Modern Language Review 108, 2013, 642-43 (full text online)
‘Le plus grand mérite de ce volume réside sans doute dans la précision avec laquelle son auteure a édité le texte [...] Nous voudrions souligner ... l’utilité des Annexes ... qui constitueront des aides précieuses pour les chercheurs qui travailleront sur les différentes versions des traductions et des commentaires médiévaux de Boèce."’ — Andrea Valentini, Medioevo Romanzo XXXVI, 2012, 194-96

Published May 2016

La Voie de Povreté et de Richesse
Edited by Glynnis M. Cropp
Critical Texts 51

‘As Glynnis Cropp notes in her foreword, while historians have made reference to La Voie de Povreté et de Richesse, a vernacular fourteenth-century dream-vision poem, the text itself has never received a critical edition. That omission has now been impressively rectified... this is an impressive and accessible edition, justifying why La Voie de Povreté et de Richesse deserves recognition in its own right.’ — Bridget Riley, Modern Language Review 116.2, April 2017, 506 (full text online)
‘L’edizione di Cropp... ha il merito incontestabile di far progredire in maniera sostanziale la nostra conoscenza di un testo e di una tradizione no ad oggi completamente trascurati. Il testo critico è stabilito con criteri chiari e le scelte operate sono controllabili. Si tratta di un lavoro di grande peso e impegno, che offre delle basi di partenza solide a chi vorrà approfondirne la complessa situazione testuale della Voie de la Pouvreté et de la Richesse.’ — Maria Teresa Rachetta, Revue de Linguistique Romane 82.325-26, January-June 2018, 278-81
‘This slim but attractively produced volume is part of the enormously useful MHRA Critical Texts series... The volume contains a useful introduction followed by the edited text based on MS Paris, BnF, fr. 1563, fols 203r–221r. An index of proper names, a glossary, and a thorough bibliography are compiled with that meticulous attention to detail we are accustomed to nd in Cropp’s work... An invaluable edition.’ — Anne M. Scott, Parergon 36.1, 2019, 238-39

Published May 2017

Saints and Monsters in Medieval French and Occitan Literature: Sublime and Abject Bodies
Huw Grange
Research Monographs in French Studies 53

‘The author moves with an impressive lightness of touch across a huge range of versions of four saints’ lives — those of Margaret, George, Honorat, and Enimia — covering verse and prose, and Latin, French, and Occitan, in mostly unpublished manuscript versions... a considerable accomplishment.’ — Luke Sunderland, French Studies 72.3, July 2018, 428-29
‘This well-crafted book captures the goodwill of its audience from page one. Its author, Huw Grange, makes a simple inversion that rights a chronological wrong: saints are not the comic-book superheroes of the Middle Ages; rather today’s superheroes continue in the medieval saints’ tradition of extraordinary corporality... Saints and Monsters is what one would hope for a book of its kind insofar as its sophisticated engagement with theory is everywhere also an engagement with the literary object.’ — Brian J. Reilly, H-France 18.175, August 2018
‘Grange’s final words affirm that the lives he’s described “want to live,” and in that want lies his book’s central thesis; but it is just possible that these saints are, thanks in part to Grange’s efforts at telling their stories, still living; and it is just possible that so are we.’ — Cary Howie, Speculum 95.1, January 2020, 249-50

Published November 2017

Performing Medieval Text
Edited by Ardis Butterfield, Henry Hope and Pauline Souleau
Legenda (General Series)

‘Collectively, these studies effectively demonstrate the necessity for, and advantage of, an understanding of performance that transcends traditional academic boundaries and the volume, overall, serves as a solid exemplar of how to approach doing so.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 55.2, April 2019, 248 (full text online)
‘An ambitious and wide-ranging exploration of performance in medieval European culture. Recognizing the ‘complex terminological web’ spun round the terms performance and performativity, the volume acknowledges and accepts performance as a ‘contested concept’. It also, importantly, recognizes the historical contingency of performance as an idea... The contributing essays illustrate both the ubiquity of performance in medieval culture and the very different ways it manifests in and through text, itself broadly conceived as manuscript, image, written word, and musical note.’ — Clare Wright, Modern Language Review 114.3, July 2019, 525-526 (full text online)
‘This thought-filled and thought-provoking volume offers a polyphony of perspectives on, and examples of, medieval performance.’ — Blake Gutt, French Studies 73.4, October 2019, 622-23 (full text online)
‘While these essays are likely to be read individually by specialists in their various fields, a reader of the whole volume will be rewarded with an enriched and nuanced understanding of the concepts of “performance” and “text,” and of the explanatory reach of the field of performance studies.’ — Anne Stone, Speculum 96.2, 2021, 482-84

The Multilingual Muse: Transcultural Poetics in the Burgundian Netherlands
Edited by Adrian Armstrong and Elsa Strietman
Legenda (General Series)

‘This forward-thinking collection is part of an emerging and significant trend towards analysing medieval literature in the multilingual context in which it was written... this collection has a much wider significance beyond this geographical setting insofar as it provides a splendid model for future research into the multilingualism of medieval literature.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 55.2, April 2019, 247-48 (full text online)
‘Through the viewpoint of transcultural exchange, and by giving voice to cases in their contemporary contexts, the editors successfully present an enriching new picture of multilingualism in the fifteenth-century Low Countries.’ — Bram Caers, French Studies 73.2, April 2019, 284-85 (full text online)
‘Largely refuses clichés and tired assumptions about translation and other interlingual-literary engagements, preferring instead to turn new ground for specific analyses of less obvious intertextual, interdiscursive, and intermedial contacts. Armstrong and Strietman have gathered a fine collection that puts on display the richly provocative multilingualism of the early modern Low Countries. Anyone interested in early modern literary culture will be delighted by the insights and methods of these fine essays.’ — Anne E. B. Coldiron, Early Modern Low Countries 3.1, 2019, 145–148 (full text online)
‘This essay collection offers an excellent point of entry for reflection and further research on the impressive literature of the Low Countries under the dukes of Burgundy, and shows how the multilingualism and multiculturalism of the region energized and enriched its poetry.’ — unsigned notice, Medium Aevum 88, 2019, 191-92
‘The Multilingual Muse est un ouvrage important qu’il faut saluer. En effet, il éclaire dans le détail la manière dont se forme culturellement, socio-économiquement et même politiquement--malgré notre remarque ci-dessus--un espace commun bilingue au 15e siècle et au début du 16e siècle. Nombre d’enseignements sont à retenir pour l’historien.ne du politique : la nécessité de repenser les modèles de diffusion culturelle et donc idéologique « top-down » pour privilégier des processus en réseaux interpénétrés, et surtout abandonner cette idée issue du 19e siècle, et pourtant encore bien présente chez nombre de collègues, que l’État dynastique tardo-médiéval et renaissant se construirait nécessairement par l’unification linguistique. L’exemple de la mosaïque étatique bourguignonne dément tout à fait ce postulat.’ — Jonathan Dumont, H-France 19, November 2019, 220
‘This is an exciting volume which sheds important light on multilingualism in the world of the Burgundian Netherlands during the late Middle Ages.’ — Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik 31, 2018, 465-67

Published August 2018

Un Dit moral contre Fortune: A critical edition of MS Paris, BnF, fr. 25 418
Edited by Glynnis M. Cropp in association with John Keith Atkinson
European Translations 6

‘Une bonne contribution à une meilleure connaissance de la diffusion des traductions françaises de la Consolation de Boèce.’ — Gilles Roques, Revue de Linguistique Romane 83.1, janvier-juin 2019, 278-83
‘This edition by Glynnis M. Cropp and John Keith Atkinson of Un dit moral contre Fortune, BnF, MS fr. 25418, is an important addition to the study of the medieval French versions of Boethius’s most popular work.’ — Tracy Adams, French Studies 74.1, January 2020, 106-07 (full text online)
‘In the long and complex history of the Consolatio Philosophiae's transmission and interpretation, Cropp and Atkinson's volume presents a 'last link in a chain of translations' and is thus an important and necessary addition to studies in the field.’ — Jenny Davis Barrett, Parergon 37.2, 2020, 200-01

Published September 2018

La Belle Dame qui eust mercy and Le Dialogue d'amoureux et de sa dame: A Critical Edition and English Translation of Two Anonymous Late-Medieval French Amorous Debate Poems
Edited by Joan Grenier-Winther
Critical Texts 60

‘The poems themselves are presented with facing-page translations, in clear and idiomatic English, making this edition eminently useful for scholars and students alike.’ — unsigned notice, Medium Aevum 88, 2019, 184
‘This volume is a welcome addition to studies of fifteenth-century French poetry, especially within the context of the Quarrel of the Belle dame sans mercy.’ — Joan E. McRae, Modern Language Review 115.1, 2020, 178-79 (full text online)
‘Joan Grenier-Winther has provided a welcome new bilingual scholarly edition of two important poems (each about four hundred lines) out of around twenty love poems long recognized as ‘the cycle of the Belle Dame sans mercy’... Scholarship is served by the excellent Introduction, comprehensive list of variant readings, description of all manuscripts and early books up to 1617, and an extensive bibliography with separate categories for other editions, critical studies, and manuscript studies.’ — Linda Burke, French Studies 74.1, January 2020, 107-08 (full text online)

Published September 2019

Theorizing Medieval Race: Saracen Representations in Old French Literature
Victoria Turner
Research Monographs in French Studies 55

‘She has created new paradigms for thinking about race and representation in the Middle Ages that should become part of the critical conversation. While Turner’s book focuses exclusively on French material, it is applicable to the European Middle Ages more widely and is particularly worthwhile because 1) she elaborates a comprehensive and sophisticated critical framework for her interrogation of medieval racial representation, and 2) her textual interpretations are original and imaginative, not simply repetitions of previous scholarly consensus.’ — Margaret Aziza Pappano, Speculum 98.1, January 2023, 339 (full text online)

Reading Dante and Proust by Analogy
Julia Caterina Hartley
Transcript 12

‘Hartley’s erudite, persuasive, and reader-friendly book is a powerful debut, an irresistible invitation to love literature. I confidently look forward to her future work.’ — Thomas Pavel, Modern Philology 24 August 2020 (full text online)
‘Hartley’s book contributes significantly to the fields of Dante and Proust stu- dies. Moreover, it is persuasive in demonstrating the rich productive potential of this dynamic, interactive approach, setting an important example for literary comparisons to come.’ — Valentina Mele, Modern Language Review 115.4, October 2020, 891-92 (full text online)
‘By practicing a meticulous close reading of selected passages from both the Commedia and the Recherche, Hartley’s intention is to read Dante in light of Proust and Proust in light of Dante, in a continuous change of perspective that keeps the interpreter’s attention receptive enough to uncover, in each author, thematic and stylistic aspects that would not otherwise have been noticed... A stimulating methodological contribution to the field of comparative literature.’ — Alessandra Aloisi, H-France 20.204, November 2020
‘A scholar who grew up in a trilingual family (English, Italian, French) and who therefore can slip smoothly from one linguistic world to another, Julia Caterina Hartley performs an exquisitely comparatist analysis in Reading Dante and Proust by Analogy. Hartley’s conclusions are quite unexpected and shed new light on two authors who share more than one might think: Alighieri, as a medieval writer who anticipates modernity, and Proust, as a modern writer who engages with the weight of the past... In sum, this book is a meticulous comparative work at its best.’ — Ilaria Serra, Speculum 96.2, 2021, 509-10
‘En plus d’être une brillante étude comparée de Proust et de Dante, ce livre offre un fin plaidoyer pour la littérature comparée considérée autant comme un art de la critique que comme une forme de critique littéraire... L’objectif est atteint, les deux œuvres sont lues ‘afresh’, dans une urgente réciprocité.’ — Hugues Azérad, French Studies 76.1, January 2022, 129–30 (full text online)
‘An enlightening, original, and powerful book, addressed to Dante scholars and Proust scholars, as well as comparatists and scholars of literature in general... Besides the simple fact that Hartley’s work gives us the pleasure of looking at two masterpieces together, with an elegant and enjoyable style, this volume is an important example of how comparative literature, across space and time, can tell us something new even on texts about which everything has already been said, and on literary structures in general, by finely combining close and distant reading.’ — Serena Vandi, Italian Studies 77.2, 2022, 202-03 (full text online)

Published September 2020

The Philomena of Chrétien the Jew: The Semiotics of Evil
Peter Haidu, edited by Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner
Research Monographs in French Studies 59

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