Overview

The first extended study of supernatural discourse in Old English poetry, Supernatural Speakers in Old English Verse fills a conspicuous gap in the scholarship of early medieval literature. Drawing insights from various disciplines, including critical discourse analysis, social psychology, and oral poetry studies, Supernatural Speakers demonstrates how and why three poets—the poets of Genesis A, Christ C, and Guthlac A—marshalled their distinction as experts of the Old English poetic medium to perform the power of supernatural speech by means of masterful poetics. By offering new analytical paths through these early medieval poems, Supernatural Speakers elucidates the importance of poetics as a critical window on the social and religious functions of verbal art in early medieval England.

Full Product Details

9781641894128

Table of Contents

Reviews

[T]his is a learned, detailed and often insightful book that provides the reader with a comprehensive study of, and introduction to, supernatural speakers in Old English verse. A monograph on this captivating topic is long overdue and Coker has filled this scholarly gap with an erudite examination of how Old English poets distinguished powerful, supernatural speeches through extraordinary sonic effects. As such, this monograph also sheds new light on the variety, versatility and indeed the power of the earliest English verse. -- James Paz * SELIM. Journal of the Spanish Society for Medieval English Language and Literature 30 (2025): 205–8 *

Author Information

Matthew D. Coker is Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Florida. He received his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford and specializes in the intersections of identity, style, and culture in medieval literature.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available