A Repertorium of Middle English Prose Sermons

Veronica O'Mara, Suzanne Paul

Pages:4 vols, 2896 p.
Size:160 x 240 mm

Language(s):English, Middle English
Publication Year:2007

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ISBN: 978-2-503-51990-6
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Review(s)

“The Repertorium is an extraordinary achievement, one of the most substantial contributions to ME prose studies ever.” (Prof. A.S.G. Edwards, De Montfort University, Leicester)

"The SERMO project to publish catalogues of medieval European vernacular sermons, of which these Middle English volumes are part, is both a major contribution and a tool which will expedite further work. It is a massive undertaking: these four volumes catalogue 1,481 texts of sermons (the longest of 121 folios) in 162 manuscripts."

"Aiming to present the genre in its widest range, O'Mara and Paul reviewed an impressive number of texts (1481 sermons in 162 manuscripts), collected from mainly British libraries and a few North American ones, to present an amply indexed tool which no doubt will become indispensable to all students of Middle English preaching material. In other words, a dream come true." (L. Iseppi, in: The Medieval Review, 09.03.19)

Summary

This Repertorium is part of a European initiative called SERMO, which is distinct from the present eponymous book series, and is a series of separate projects making available information about sermons in various medieval vernaculars through the provision of systematic catalogues or repertoria. Containing details of over one thousand Middle English prose sermons in more than one hundred and fifty manuscripts, mainly from the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the current Repertorium incorporates sermons already published alongside those that remain unedited. Each entry contains a concise manuscript description, followed by a detailed analysis of each catalogued sermon under various headings, including authorship, occasion, summary of content, exempla, and biblical citations: the whole work is supported by an extensive set of indices. By representing the texts in a consistent and streamlined manner the Repertorium will serve as a stimulus to future editions, facilitate comparative study and open up new research questions. This work of reference, which provides an overview of the whole corpus of Middle English prose sermons, is not aimed just at sermon specialists but at all scholars interested in medieval historical, literary, and religious culture.