- The Year’s Publications for 2014: A Selected List
fourteenth to seventeenth century
Examining the significance of memory and memory training to medieval culture, Cox et al. augment previous studies, for example Mary Carruthers’s The Book of Memory (1990), by focusing on the effect of gender on library texts and its connections with memory and time and the ideology behind them.
The Dubliner Walter Quin rose to prominence in the court of James VI and was a supporter of James’s succession to the English throne. After relocating to London with James’s court, Quin produced verse in praise of patrons and captured aspects of courtly life. Quin’s connections to the Stuart court make him a source of interest and study for Irish, Scottish and English literature. This is the first edition of Quin’s work including translations of non-English work.
Hepburn argues that the poems of William Dunbar offer a window into the court of James IV. Dunbar’s ‘Schir, ye haue mony seruitouris’, in particular, provides a nuanced view of the court and focuses on its servants and craftsmen. Hepburn argues that Dunbar essentially advises the court to depend on specialist servants such as him. [End Page 145]
In the middle ages storytelling was more than just entertainment, it was crucial to religion, ritual, teaching and religion. The essays in this volume examine strategies, contexts and narrative features of medieval storytelling.
Walker examines Lyndsay’s representation of the common people through the figure of the Pauper or Poor Man in the initial version (1540) and the character of John of the Commonwealth in the two later versions (1552; 1554). The essay reassesses Lyndsay’s commoners with similar characters in plays by John Bale and Nicholas Udall.
Items providing useful historical context
One of the least studied, and primarily from an English perspective, Mann’s revaluation of James VII and II provides the most detailed history of the Scottish monarch and challenges presumptions regarding his extreme catholic views and incompetence. [End Page 146]
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
Christopher McMillan, University of Glasgow
Robert Burns
An examination of the issues which Burns’s first editor contended with, put in context of some original criticism that Burns received, as well as Curry’s own tendencies as an editor in light of his personality and work more generally.
Examines the early publication history of...