Judgement Day II presented in its manuscript context, with discussion of function of penitential verse.
Critical editions of the Old English poem Judgement Day II, its Latin source, Bede's poem De die iudicii, and the homily in Oxford, Bodleian, Hatton 113, which is based on the vernacular poem, are offered in this volume: Judgement Day IIis thus presented in its manuscript context, highlighting its links with the poems found there, and casting new light on its interpretation. The editions are accompanied with translations, a commentaryon points of linguistic and literary interest, and a glossary.
The introduction includes detailed descriptions of the manuscripts in which the works appear; the function of the poems as penitential verse; and a discussion ofeschatological thought in the the early middle ages, especially with regard to Bede. There are also sections on the language, style and metre of the Old English poem, and a full literary analysis.
Professor GRAHAM D. CAIEis Head of the School of English and Scottish Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow.