Durham E-Theses Alchemy and Exemplary Narrative in Middle English Poetry RUNSTEDLER, CURTIS,THOMAS How to cite: RUNSTEDLER, CURTIS,THOMAS (2018) Alchemy and Exemplary Narrative in Middle English Poetry, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12593/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail:
[email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Alchemy and Exemplary Narrative in Middle English Poetry by Curtis Runstedler A thesis submitted in fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Durham 2017 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author or the university to which it was submitted. No quotation from it, or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author or university, and any information derived from it should be acknowledged. Runstedler 2 ABSTRACT Alchemy and Exemplary Narrative in Middle English Poetry This thesis examines the role of alchemy in Middle English poetry from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century England, particularly how these poems present themselves as exemplary narratives to raise moral points about human behaviour, fallibility, and alchemical experimentation.