Set of 3 Reliques of Ancient English Poetry by Thomas Percy Paperback Book
$ 19.01
Description
Set of 3 Reliques of Ancient English Poetry by Thomas Percy Paperback Book. In the history of English literature no other collection of poetry has been as influential as Bishop Percy's well-known Reliques. It was a major document in the romanticism of the late 18th century, and it stood behind much of the most typical work of Coleridge, Wordsworth and Scott, to say nothing of scores of lesser poets. It was also an event of enormous importance in the history of English folklore, for until modern times it remained the basic work for the study of early popular literature. The heart of Percy's work was the unique "Percy Manuscript," which Percy, when a young man, rescued under dramatic circumstances from being burned by a servant girl who was about to use it as kindling for a fire. His interest in its contents aroused, Percy thereupon devoted much of his life to collecting and editing similar material, and in 1765 issued this great work. It consisted of 180 pieces, including many of the finest traditional ballads-"Chevy Chase," "Sir Patrick Spence," many Robin Hood ballads and similar material. This present edition, which was prepared by the well-known British scholar Henry B. Wheatley, is the fullest and most scholarly edition of Percy's classic. It contains the complete text, as established by Percy, together with supple-mentary essays and historical and interpretative footnotes by Percy. It also reproduces sections from the original Percy Manuscript, indicating in what respects Bishop Percy departed from it and made alterations. As a result, this is the definitive edition of Percy's Reliques, indispensable to every student of either English literature or folklore.
