Best Medieval Literary Criticism Books of 2025

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is a literary masterpiece, taking readers on a journey through the depths of Hell, the trials of Purgatory, and the glory of Paradise. This edition combines all three canticles in one volume, translated by John Ciardi. The translations are praised for their sensitivity and passion, presenting Dante's work in a credible and noble manner. Overall, The Divine Comedy is a dazzling work of sublime truth and mystical intensity that deserves its place among the great works of literature.

The Iliad and the Odyssey Boxed Set is a must-have collection for anyone who loves classic literature and fiction books. This striking and sleekly designed collector-worthy set brilliantly translates Homer's timeless epics with accuracy and without being out of reach for readers. Peter Green's translations capture the beauty and complexity, the surging thunder, and quiet lyricism of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The detailed synopses and notes are perceptive observations about Homer's characters and themes. Overall, this widely acclaimed collection is a treasured addition to every reader's bookshelf.

Gods and Mortals: Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers is a captivating retelling of the ancient Greek myths by Sarah Iles Johnston. The book offers new narrations of all the best-known tales as well as others that are seldom told, taking readers on an enthralling journey from the origin of the cosmos to the aftermath of the Trojan War. The book features captivating original illustrations by Tristan Johnston and stays true to the tales and to the world in which ancient people lived. Overall, Gods and Mortals is a superb retelling that is engaging, entertaining, and unique.

The Making of Middle-earth is an in-depth exploration of Tolkien's world, connecting all the threads of influence that infused his creation of Middle-earth. It examines the impact of these works on our modern culture and is fully illustrated, making it accessible but authoritative. Written by Dr. Christopher A. Snyder, it has been reissued with a stunning new cover treatment and updated commentary on new books, films, games, and shows. This book is a must-read for any Tolkien fan, and its updated version makes it even more appealing to both old and new readers.

From the award-winning biographer of Chaucer, the story of his most popular and scandalous character, from the Middle Ages to #MeToo. Ever since her triumphant debut in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, arguably the first ordinary and recognisably real woman in English literature, has obsessed readers―from Shakespeare to James Joyce, Voltaire to Pasolini, Dryden to Zadie Smith. Few literary characters have led such colourful lives or matched her influence or capacity for reinvention in poetry, drama, fiction, and film. In The Wife of Bath, Marion Turner tells the fascinating story of where Chaucer’s favourite character came from, how she related to real medieval women, and where her many travels have taken her since the fourteenth century, from Falstaff and Molly Bloom to #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.. A sexually active and funny working woman, the Wife of Bath, also known as Alison, talks explicitly about sexual pleasure. She is also a victim of domestic abuse who tells a story of rape and redemption. Formed from misogynist sources, she plays with stereotypes. Turner sets Alison’s fictional story alongside the lives of real medieval women―from a maid who travelled around Europe, abandoned her employer, and forged a new career in Rome to a duchess who married her fourth husband, a teenager, when she was sixty-five. Turner also tells the incredible story of Alison’s post-medieval life, from seventeenth-century ballads and Polish communist pop art to her reclamation by postcolonial Black British women writers.. Entertaining and enlightening, funny and provocative, The Wife of Bath is a one-of-a-kind history of a literary and feminist icon who continues to capture the imagination of readers.

The Prophets by Abraham Heschel is a classic work on the Old Testament prophets, providing a unique opportunity for readers of the Bible, both Christian and Jewish, to gain fresh and deep knowledge of Israel’s prophetic movement. The book contains sophisticated, straightforward discussions of each of the Hebrew prophets, the primary themes of their preaching, and comparisons of Israel's prophets to those of other religions. Heschel's profound understanding of the prophets also opens the door to new insight into the philosophy of religion. The Prophets is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the prophetic movement of the Old Testament.

The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides (Modern Library Classics) is a remarkable anthology that includes all-new, highly accessible translations of some of the world's most beloved plays, such as Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Medea, among others. The book features short biographies of the playwrights, enlightening introductions to the plays, and helpful annotations at the bottom of each page. The Greek Plays is a must-have for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, and politics, and it is certain to become a definitive text for years to come.

The book "Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings" is a collection of the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a medieval philosopher who combined ancient philosophy with medieval theology. The book covers a wide range of topics, from fundamental Christian doctrine to political science, anti-Semitism, and heresy. The volume is published by Penguin Classics, which is known for its authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Overall, the book is an excellent read for anyone interested in philosophy, theology, or medieval history.

The classic story that inspired the film starring Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander“A medieval romance…but also an outlandish ghost story, a gripping morality tale and a weird thriller.… I couldn’t put down Simon Armitage’s compulsively readable...energetic, free-flowing, high-spirited version.” ― Edward Hirsch, New York Times Book ReviewOne of the founding stories of English literature, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight narrates the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse who rudely interrupts Camelot’s Round Table festivities one Yuletide, casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager. The virtuous Gawain accepts and decapitates the intruder with his own axe. Gushing blood, the knight reclaims his head, orders Gawain to seek him out a year hence, and departs. The following Yuletide, Gawain dutifully sets forth. His quest for the Green Knight involves a winter journey, a seduction scene in a dreamlike castle, a dire challenge answered―and a drama of enigmatic reward disguised as psychic undoing.Preserved on a single surviving manuscript dating from around 1400, composed by an anonymous master, this Arthurian epic was rediscovered only two hundred years ago and published for the first time in 1839. Following in the tradition of Ted Hughes, Marie Borroff, and J.R.R. Tolkien, Simon Armitage―one of England’s leading poets―has produced an inventive translation that resounds with both clarity and spirit. His work, presented here with facing original text and a note by Harvard scholar James Simpson, is meticulously responsible to the sophistication of the original but succeeds equally in its ambition to be read as a totally new poem. It is as if two poets, six hundred years apart, set out on a journey through the same mesmerizing landscapes―acoustic, physical, and metaphorical―to share in and double the pleasure of this enchanting classic. 2 illustrations

The Oresteia is a compelling trilogy that tells the story of the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Aeschylus masterfully portrays the tensions between family obligations and the laws that bind society together. This is the only surviving trilogy in Greek drama, and Robert Fagles' translation brings it to life with an introduction, notes, and glossary written in collaboration with W.B. Stanford. Penguin Classics' edition of The Oresteia offers authoritative texts and up-to-date translations, making it a must-read for lovers of classic literature and fiction.