Amoral Gower: Language, Sex, and Politics. By Diane Watt. Medieval Cultures, 38. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2003. Pp. xviii + 206; 5 halftones. $60.95 (cloth); $21.95 (paper).

John Gower's abundant fascination with sexual misconduct has become one of the principal sources of interest for recent criticism of the Confessio Amantis, and Diane Watt's timely new book follows a string of works on the topic. One of the benefits she reaps from this recent work is that no one still needs to be persuaded of the value of a study of Gower's sexual ethics, and thankfully Watt dispenses with the usual earnest defense of her subject's merit. The Confessio Amantis deserves this kind of unspoken respect, and it also deserves Watt's willingness to cast doubt on the reputation of "moral Gower."


George Shuffelton
Carleton College