Response [to Helen Barr ‘Poetic Tradition’], ‘Poetic Tradition’]

Though much of Barr’s stylistic analysis is convincing, the notion of a single, “classical” style against which to measure the PPl tradition may involve a simplification, since there is in the classical alliterative corpus much discursive and expository writing. Moreover, while the poems of the tradition discussed by Barr are clearly influenced by PPl, they also employ stylistic devices not favored by WL.