The Fayre Formez of the Pearl Poet

This book differs from most previous studies of the Pearl poet by treating all of his works as a whole. Prior’s purpose is to identify the underlying poetics of this major body of English poetry. Drawing on both the visual imagery of medieval art (the study includes 18 full-page illustrations) and the verbal imagery of the Bible and other literary sources, Prior shows how the poet’s "fayre formez" are the result of a coherent and self-conscious view of the artist’s craft.

Sandra Pierson Prior is a senior scholar at Columbia University, where she retired as associate professor of English and comparative literature and director of the composition program.