Search

Curtis Runstedler's book, "Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature," explores how Middle English writers used alchemy for moral purposes in their poetry. The book focuses on four Middle English poems and examines how alchemy serves as a metaphor for moral reflection and literary experimentation. Runstedler analyzes the works of John Gower, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Lydgate, and two anonymous alchemical dialogues. While the book offers a useful line of inquiry, some arguments lack development and the scholarship is thin, leaving potential unrealized. The book's focus on Middle English texts and Middle English studies limits its exploration of the broader relationship between alchemy and exemplary poetry. [Extracted from the article]