Stevick's classic work remains the only text of its kind aimed at fostering         the linguistic competence necessary to understand its poems in Middle         English. The wide range of lyric poems in the book are normalized to a         Chaucerian dialect. The introduction has been revised to take into account         the scholarship and criticism published since the first edition appeared         in 1964. It gives the background for the poetry, explains how and why         the texts are normalized, and reviews significant critical scholarly studies         of the works. Included is a section on morphology and grammar that introduces         students to the language of the lyrics, and a section on the evolving         meter of Middle English.       "A fine piece of work. . . . Learned, wide-ranging, and judicious."         -- John B. Friedman, author of The Monstrous Races in Medieval         Art and Thought       "An impressive collection. Stevick's decision to normalize the texts         makes it highly accessible."         -- Ralph Hanna III, University of California, Riverside