Review
"This detailed, practically encyclopedic, study of Dunbar's complete poetry supersedes previous book-length studies....A crucial reference for any future study of Dunbar."--Choice
"Dunbar the Makar should become a much-consulted resource for anyone doing work on Dunbar or Middle Scots literature in general....In collecting between two covers so much of what is now known about Dunbar and his poems, Dunbar the Makar is indispensable, and Bawcutt's consistently sensible and thoroughly informed readings are always valuable....impressive in the breadth and force of its scholarship."--Studies in the Age of Chaucer
"Dunbar the Maker should stimulate research into the literature of late-medieval Scotland and enliven debate over this facinating poet."--Speculum
"Bawcutt's book should...mark a turning point in our understanding of Middle Scots literature and the place of that writing within the wider British and even European context....Students of Dunbar, Middle Scots, and medieval literature in general owe Pricella Bawcutt an enormous debt for this fine book."--Envoi
Product Description
Dunbar's genius has been recognized not only by critics but by modern poets such as Auden and Eliot. This critical study examines Dunbar's view of himself as a poet, or "makar", and the way he handles various poetic genres. Emphasis is placed on the petitions, or begging-poems, and their use for poetic introspection. There is also a study of Dunbar's undervalued comic poems, and of the modes most congenial to him - notably parody, irony, flyting, or invective and black dream-fantasy. Priscilla Bawcutt takes account of recent scholarship on Dunbar and also the literary traditions available to him, both in Latin and the vernaculars, including "popular" and alliterative poetry as well as that of Chaucer and his followers. In contesting the over-simple and reductive views purveyed by some critics, that Dunbar is primarily a moralist, or no more than a skilled virtuoso, she has written a balanced account of the poetry. This book is intended to be of interest to scholars, graduates, third-year undergraduates studying late Medieval/early Renaissance literature, particularly Scottish literature and Chaucer.
