The Signifying Power of Pearl

This book enhances understanding of the 14th-century Middle English dream vision poem Pearl, arguing that the poet intended it to be read at four levels of meaning and corresponding genres: literally, an elegy; spiritually, an allegory; morally, a consolation; and anagogically, a revelation. Using medieval and modern genre theory, it visits scholarly debates about Pearl’s genre and meaning. It also considers folktale genre patterns in Pearl, including those drawn from parable, fable, and fairy-tale, and reads it in light of modern psychological theories of grieving and trauma. This book makes a strong case for recognizing Pearl’s signifying power and the possibility of new interpretations.