Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-23-2025
Publication Title
Medium Ævum
Pages
1-18
Abstract
The Middle English alliterative poem Joseph of Arimathea survives in a single copy, lacking verse lineation and the regular alliteration expected of this form. Several explanations have been advanced, but the poem has been treated with reserve: scholars and critics have been reluctant, perhaps, to attend closely to a text that has seemed unfinished, careless, or corrupt. The present study counters these impressions with a narrow metrical test. Joseph agrees very well with one of the ‘finer rules’ described in recent scholarship on alliterative metrics, namely the requirement that lines end with a trochaic constituent. Regular line endings support the view that the text of Joseph, as transmitted, is deliberate and mostly accurate. Supporting data are available at doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15724220.
Recommended Citation
Cornelius, Ian. Endings of Half-Lines in the Middle English Alliterative Joseph of Arimathea. Medium Ævum, , : 1-18, 2025. Retrieved from Loyola eCommons, English: Faculty Publications and Other Works,
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s), 2025.
Included in
Author Manuscript
This is a pre-publication author manuscript of the final, published article.
Comments
Author Posting © The Author(s), 2025. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version of the work is forthcoming in Medium Ævum.