Overview

At the end of the tenth-century English manuscript the Exeter Book, there is a collection of almost one hundred riddles. They are notable for many reasons, but one feature in particular has challenged modern readers: their lack of solutions. In Truth Is Trickiest, Jennifer Neville argues that the absence of solutions, rather than being an unfortunate accident, uncovers an essential quality of these texts. In opposition to the general expectation that a successfully solved riddle will have one correct answer, Neville argues that the Exeter Book riddles are written to generate multiple solutions. The correct response to an Exeter Book riddle is not a single, elegant solution but instead an ongoing process of interpretation that leads readers to question what they think they know. Truth Is Trickiest contextualizes its readings within the larger field of Old English poetry, early medieval material culture, and Anglo-Latin riddles. The book pursues the central issue of interpretation in relation to social values, craftsmanship, hierarchical social structures, violence, irony, humour, and sexuality. It concludes with a full list of previously proposed solutions to document the history of the ongoing argument that the Exeter Book riddles have provoked.

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9781487552527

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Reviews

"""A learned and illuminating romp through the ninety-five Old English riddles in the Exeter Book (c. 1000), with nary a one decently accompanied by a solution. Jennifer Neville, while providing new interpretations of her own, explores what this vernacular resistance to closure signifies. A valuable appendix gathers up the wide-ranging 'answers' given over the last two centuries. Its very bulk hints that the things and processes puzzlingly depicted in the riddles may or may not be as they seem.""--Roberta Frank, Marie Borroff Professor Emerita of English, Yale University ""A book of sparkling wit and insight, meticulously researched and stylishly presented. Even those who believe that certain Old English riddles do have viable solutions will be swayed by Neville's argument that the game of riddle-solving is ultimately, and deliberately, an open-ended one, and that this indeterminacy is at the heart of the genre's appeal.""--John D. Niles, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California, Berkeley ""Anyone interested in the Exeter Book riddles will want this book, especially the challenging analyses and rich complementary list of solutions.""--Jane Roberts, Emeritus Professor of English Language and Medieval Literature, University of London"

Author Information

Jennifer Neville is a reader in early medieval English literature at Royal Holloway, University of London.

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