Coley (English, Simon Fraser U., British Columbia) offers analysis of works by Chaucer (Saint Erkenwald and "The Manciple's Tale"), Marian lyrics by Thomas Hoccleve, and John Gower's Confessio Amantis, as well as the Wars of Alexander, utilizing methodology drawn from speech-act theory, especially that which concerns performative utterances (as propounded by J.L. Austin). Of interest to advanced students and scholars of English, the chapters include lengthy quotes from the original texts. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)