Axton's central argument is against the evolutionary model of Medieval drama that allegedly was reborn from the Quem Queritas trope in the recital of the mass of Corpus Christi. European Drama of the Early Middle Ages argues instead for a group of parallel folk traditions to which the liturgical dramas are occasionally wed but from which more often than not they keep aloof. This is a brilliantly argued, always interesting book, but it does demand some knowledge of the extant theatrical literature from the Middle Ages. For readers who don't know the work of Hrosvitha, Hildegard von Bingen, and the Wakefield Master or aren't slightly familiar with the Play of Antichrist, the Mystère d'Adam, Mankind, and the Croxton Play of the Sacrament, this book will be frequently puzzling and perhaps even frustrating. For readers who know some of this literature, Axton's book is a game-changer.
