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OverviewAt 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. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Jennifer NevillePublisher: University of Toronto Press Imprint: University of Toronto Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.001kg ISBN: 9781487552527ISBN 10: 1487552521 Pages: 376 Publication Date: 15 May 2024 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Tertiary & Higher Education , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Forthcoming Availability: Not yet available  This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release. Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Riddle Titles 1. Introduction: Soð bið Swicolast – “Truth Is Trickiest” 2. The Joy of Limits: The Heroic Idiom as “Code” 3. Muddying the Waters: The Heroic Idiom as Camouflage and Disguise 4. Dark Tracks through the Heroic Idiom: Aporia, Irony, and Paradox 5. Domestic Practices: Manufacturing and Implements 6. The Strange Game of Sex: Asexual Reproduction and Gratuitous Sex 7. Not Concluding but Continuing Appendix: The Argument over Solutions Bibliography IndexReviewsAuthor InformationJennifer Neville is a reader in early medieval English literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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