John Rougeux

Medieval Literature 3014

Professor Mosser

September 9, 2002

This is an evaluation for the website titled The Luminarium Anthology of Middle English Literature (1350 – 1485). This website can be found at the following address: http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/. The evaluation of this website was based on several criteria, including the thoroughness of the text, its relevance to the studies of our class, the clarity in which it is presented, and the validity of the information provided. The site’s ease of use, interest to the reader, and whether or not it was up to date were also taken into consideration.

The Luminarium was created in 1996 by Anniina Jokinen. She founded the site as a student of Middle English Literature herself, [Your syntax suggests that the following clause is modifying “a student of…” though it obviously refers to the site=>beginning as a simple page of links to Middle English Literature information.] From there, the site grew a great deal, and now contains a wealth of information about several prominent Middle English authors, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Gawain[<=not an author], and Sir Thomas Malory, and information about plays and lyrics as well. The site is organized so that the main page contains a link to each of the authors covered. From each link, the viewer is taken to an [author specific=>author-specific] page, where he can find an author’s biography, list of works, excerpts or full texts from the author, and essays and articles written about these works. Links for purchasing that author’s text and links to information about that author from additional websites are also provided. The depth of these resources ensures that a student of any of the authors found on the Luminarium website will find more than enough information [for what purposes? i.e., to do what?]. Although little of the material is actually written by the author of the website herself, nearly all of the remainder has been compiled from legitimate educational and reference websites. Thus it is safe to say that the information the Luminarium provides can be counted on as a reliable source. In fact, a quote from the website’s author reads, “Some write to me skeptical of the validity of the materials. I often admonish these skeptics to visit the site—with their expertise they should soon realize that the site is scholarly and aims for accuracy at all times. Everything is verified from the authorities in a given subject[Can you ascertain what this means?].” Several professors from various universities have contributed to the site, and the Luminarium has also received several awards from several website evaluation companies.

Though the Luminarium contains much information, it is laid out in a simple and straightforward manner, making it easy to navigate. Various illustrations and drawings and a consistent layout serve to make the site easy on the reader’s eye. The site was last updated January 7, 2002, nine months [ago from=>prior to] the writing of this evaluation. While most good sites should constantly update their offerings, the historical content of the site lends it more time between updates, as information from several hundred years ago is not likely to change a great deal with the period of several months. In addition, the [italics=>Norton Anthology of English Literature], Sixth Edition was used as the main source for checking historical correctness of the website’s content. This is the same book currently used in the class, and is accepted as a genuine source of accurate information.

Overall, the Luminarium can provide a student of the authors it covers with an abundance of relevant information. Its ease of use and accuracy of material ensures that those seeking useful material will find it.