Founded in 1977 as the publication organ for the Fifteenth-Century Symposia, Fifteenth-Century Studies has appeared annually since then. It offers essays on diverse aspects of the 15th century, including liberal and fine arts, historiography, medicine, and religion. The 15th century defies consensus on fundamental issues; most scholars agree, however, that this period outgrew the Middle Ages, that it was a time of transition, and a passage to modern times. The current volume opens with the customary survey of research on 15th-century drama. Graham A. Runnalls and Jesse Hurlbut present their extensive bibliography of French miracle plays and mysteries, a work accumulated over 25 years. Continuing on the topic of late-medieval art, Edelgard DuBruck offers a study of gesture within the miniatures of the Passion Isabeau (1398). Barbara I. Gusick analyzes healing and social reorientation in Christ's transformation of Zacchaeus in the York Cycle; Mark Trowbridge investigates the Cleveland St. John the Baptist, attributed to Petrus Christus. Finally, this year's entry by Leonardas V. Gerulaitis provides Renaissance views on genius and madness. A book review section concludes the volume.
Edelgard E. DuBruck is professor emerita of Modern Languages at Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan, and Barbara I. Gusick is professor emerita of English at Troy University-Dothan, Dothan, Alabama.