John of Garland, one of the first professors of grammar at the University of Paris, is one of the most important intellectual figures of the first half of the twelfth century. He produced several scholarly works, including the first dictionary, important critiques of contemporary Latin grammars, and the Parisiana Poetria de Arte Prosaica, Metrica, et Rithmica (Parisian Poetics Concerning the Art of Prose, Metrical, and Rhythmic Composition, circa 1232-1249), a groundbreaking attempt to impose one scheme on the common elements of rhetoric, poetry, and dictamen (letter writing). Unlike many of his contemporaries, John remained devoted to the duties of the grammaticus (instructor in grammar), which included the teaching of language, writing skills, and what is now termed literary criticism. Though he became interested in the possibilities of approaching grammatical and syntactical study through the use of logical categories, he never abandoned the study of classical literature for logic...