"This book is concerned with cultural change, how it occurs, who its authors are, and whether it is intentional. Focusing on texts as the conduits for change, the authors of these essays engage with the processes of translation, adaptation, appropriation and dissemination. Written by some of Ireland's leading young medievalists, these essays study cultural and literary transmission over the course of eight centuries in medieval England and Ireland." "Integrating perspectives from literary scholarship, philology, and cultural history, these essays both address specific moments of cultural transformation and build an overall image of the dynamic engagements of individual medieval authors with the texts and traditions they inherited."--BOOK JACKET.