The Southern Version of Cursor Mundi, Vol. III

By Henry J. Stauffenberg

Subjects: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Cursor mundi, Poetry, Medieval Manuscripts, Christian poetry, English (Middle), History of Biblical events, Literature, medieval, history and criticism, Bible

Description: The medieval poem <i>Cursor Mundi</i> is a biblical verse account of the history of the world, offering a chronological overview of salvation history from Creation to Doomsday. Originating in northern England around the year 1300, the poem was frequently copied in the north before appearing in a southern version in substantially altered form. Although it is a storehouse of popular medieval biblical lore and a fascinating study in the eclectic use of more than a dozen sources, the poem has until now attracted little scholarly attention. This five-part collaborative edition presents the Arundel version of the poem with variants from three others. In addition it provides a discussion of sources and analogues, detailed explanatory notes, and a bibliography.