Ælfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England. By Mechthild Gretsch. Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England, 34. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Pp. xi + 263. $90.

Building upon her study of The Intellectual Foundations of the English Benedictine Reform (1999), Mechthild Gretsch's new book focuses on five saints' lives by Ælfric, a foundational intellect among the reformers. In it she explores how his education as a Winchester monk shaped his responses to the hagiographical traditions he first inherited and then relayed to the English laity in the vernacular. Self-contained chapters on Gregory, benedict, Cuthbert, and Swithun and Æthelthryth trace the history of the saint's cult in Anglo-Saxon England and then examine how its literary and liturgical traditions impacted Ælfric's aims, narrative modes, and styles. thorough research and careful hypothesizing underpin each chapter, and with a scope spanning centuries and a wide array of material laid under contribution, the book represents a valuable addition to Anglo-Saxon studies.

Sarah Stanbury
College of the Holy Cross