Genesis A: A New Edition

Among Old English poems, "Genesis A" is second — both in length and importance — only to "Beowulf". With this new edition, Alger N. Doane reveals both the full stature of the poem and the significant achievement of the poet. Indeed, Doane's creative and scrupulous work calls for both a rereading and a reassessment of "Genesis A" among all scholars in the field. In the editing of the text and the commentary — the heart of the work — Doane brings his full learning to bear in the service of illuminating the poem. His detailed commentary touches upon all the points of interest of the poem, and places it in context—both historically and aesthetically—among other works of Old English and Germanic poetry, showing both its limits and achievements.