Table of Contents

Preface Walter Hooper; 1. De Audiendis Poetis; 2. The genesis of a medieval book; 3. Imagination and thought in the Middle Ages; 4. Dante's similes; 5. Imagery in the last eleven cantos of Dante's Comedy; 6. Dante's statius; 7. The Morte d'Arthur; 8. Tasso; 9. Edmund Spenser, 1552–99; 10. On reading The Faerie Queene; 11. Neoplatonism in the poetry of Spenser; 12. Spenser's cruel Cupid; 13. Genius and genius; 14. A note on Comus; Additional editorial notes; Index.

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An invaluable collection for those who read and love Lewis and medieval and Renaissance literature.

Reviews

'Another side of Lewis's witty, lucid intellect is revealed in this 1966 collection, now returned to print. Its 14 papers deal with Spenser, Dante, Malory, Tasso and Milton, and with such other topics as the medieval talent for reworking old books into something fresh and original.' The New York Times 'A remarkable intellect turns to the work of Spenser, Dante, Malory, Tasso and Milton. The 14 essays provide insight into medieval life as well as medieval literature.' Philadelphia Inquirer 'This collection of essays ... is an invaluable addition to the library of anyone who, as Lewis did, not only reads, teaches and writes about medieval and Renaissance literature, but loves it.' Cahiers Elisabethians