The second volume of this edition of Ancrene Wisse includes a general introduction, on institutional and historical context, sources and influences, structure and style. The extensive explanatory notes include material on the text's historical, theological, and literary background. The introduction summarizes recent research on this important text and others associated with it in the Middle Ages; it offers a discussion of the text's origin which relates it
to broader contemporary developments in preaching and pastoral care. The Glossary, supplied by Richard Dance, is supplemented by discussion of specific textual and philological problems and offers a definitive guide to the language.