This detailed study argues that theology and poetry enjoyed a mutually beneficial and productive relationship during the 14th century and that both poets and theologians, in this time of humanism, asserted the sanctity of the human body. Rhodes examines examples of poets writing about theology, such as Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale , and of theologians transmitting their ideas in verse, notably Robert Grossetest in his The Castle of Love . He also considers the ways in which Langland expanded on Grosseteste's ideas and discusses the theological position of the Pearl -poet. (view table of contents)