English from Caedmon to Chaucer: the literary development of English.(Book Review)

English from Caedmon to Chaucer: The literary development of English. By S. Terrie Curran. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 2002. Pp. xiii, 290.

One of the doubts which are likely to befall a potential reader of the publication under review is whether "the world needs another history of the English language" (p. ix). Firstly, many, publications on the subject already rest on the shelves of libraries. Secondly, as the author of the book herself observes in the "Preface" (pp. ix-xi), the study of the history of English has steadily been falling into decline. Given the above, a new history of English should take "a new approach" (p. ix) towards its ...