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This dissertation examines references to the Book of Job by Middle Englisb authors, shows the ways 1n which they amploy the ,tory or quotations from it, and attempts to account for the consistency with which they depart from their source. Middle English authors abridge the Book of Job considerably, unifying it and smoothing away much of its complexity. While they give evidence o! uneasiness with their source they exercise considerable ingenuity in adapting it to their purposes. They retain some of the original but frequently depart from the facts and even from the spirit and general tenor of the book. They alter events, misquote the text or quote it in a manner or context wbich alters its significance. and augment it with material which does not occur in it. They select only a f~1 of Job's words for quotation and often attribute to him speeches uttered in the original by his friends who are h1s opponents in the discussion. The principal reason for these variations Is the Book of Job itself, part of Icripture, yet containing palsage. repugnant to orthodox religious sensibilities. The Church Fathers. legend and liturgy are the main source. of the variations in the literature. Exegetes give allegorical interpretations which replace unaatis!actory literal meanings or associate particular features of dogma with certain passages. Legends supply the notion of the patience of Job and give additional evidence of hi' saintlines$. Because some portions of the book are used 1n a liturgical effice, adjacent antiphons come to be regarded as from Job. ~vin9 to its nature and to the influences brought to bear on it before it was used in Itlddle English. there 1s a considerable difference between the Book of Job as it appears 1n the Blble and as it 1$ reproduced 1n ~~ddle English literature.

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As episodic narratives, romances depend upon an inherent understanding of the powers of memory and recollection to ensure that the authority of characters, narratives and the chivalric ideal are identified and sustained. Memory is mapped onto literal journeys, places, and correlative experiences, and the thesis examines the processes through which this is achieved in medieval English romances. Distractions of the present are often complicated by unfamiliarity, forgetfulness, disguises and incognito, or threats from Otherworldly challenges, (mis)fortune, and time itself. Consequently, in contrast to simple learning in the manner of mnemonics, romances promote a dynamic continuum between past and present which preserves the medieval memorial principles of order and place along with the creative freedom for interpretation advocated at the heart of medieval memoria. Using classical and medieval memory theories, the thesis examines the creative challenges for memory in a selection of established romances such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Orfeo, Emaré, and King Horn, including those of Chaucer and Malory, along with lesser studied, longer romances such as William of Palerne, Ipomadon and Beves of Hamtoun. Characters and audiences create their own stable set of memories from within and beyond each tale which they recollect, often as imaginatively changed forms, into present experiences and future situations. By avoiding the temptation to forget and remaining open to referential moments, a lost knight is united with his remembered love, situations mysteriously chime with those witnessed before, and pressures of change become the reassuring familiarity and expectation of a past reimagined. In romances the memorial places, objects, and rituals are of great importance, but so too are the spaces between these recognisable points. This is the expanse of time which allows the creative work of memory to truly flourish and preserves the identity and authority of the narratives themselves.

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No description available.