York Notes Companions Medieval Literature

This volume spans five centuries of post-Conquest literature, written at a time in which enormous social, political and linguistic changes transformed life in Britain. Medieval genres such as Arthurian romance, lyrics, dream narratives and mystery plays are brought to life and accompanied by discussions of key debates such as “Gender and Power”, “The Emergent Individual” and “Society and Class”. Bringing together historical contexts and critical theory, this is essential reading for any student of medieval literature.

A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture,c.1350-c.1500 challenges readers to think beyond a narrowlydefined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries. A ground-breaking collection of newly-commissioned essays onmedieval literature and culture. Encourages students to think beyond a narrowly defined canonand conventional disciplinary boundaries. Reflects the erosion of the traditional, rigid boundary betweenmedieval and early modern literature. Stresses the importance of constructing contexts for readingliterature. Explores the extent to which medieval literature is in dialoguewith other cultural products, including the literature of othercountries, manuscripts and religion. Includes close readings of frequently-studied texts, includingtexts by Chaucer, Langland, the Gawain poet, and Hoccleve. Confronts some of the controversies that exercise students ofmedieval literature, such as those connected with literary theory,love, and chivalry and war.

An accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the era, this Companion explores influential dramatic works by Ibsen, Shaw and Wilde; the poetry of mourning; novelistic genres, including social problem novels and sensation fiction; and the literature of the fin de siècle’s aesthetes and decadents. Cultural and historical debates – focussing on empire, national identity, science and evolution, print culture and gender – supply essential context alongside discussion of relevant critical theory.

An exploration of Gothic literature from its origins in Horace Walpole’s 1764 classic The Castle of Otranto, through Romantic and Victorian Gothic to modernist and postmodernist takes on the form. The volume surveys key debates such as Female Gothic, the Gothic narrator and nation and empire, and focuses on a wide range of texts including The Mysteries of Udolpho, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Dracula, The Magic Toyshop and The Shining.

A wide-ranging survey of the most important medieval authors and genres, designed for students of English.

A Companion to British Literature, Medieval Literature, 700 - 1450

This volume spans five centuries of post-Conquest literature, written at a time in which enormous social, political and linguistic changes transformed life in Britain. Medieval genres such as Arthurian romance, lyrics, dream narratives and mystery plays are brought to life and accompanied by discussions of key debates such as Gender and Power, The Emergent Individual and Society and Class . Bringing together historical contexts and critical theory, this is essential reading for any student of medieval literature. "

Medieval French literature encompasses 450 years of literary output in Old and Middle French, mostly produced in Northern France and England. These texts, including courtly lyrics, prose and verse romances, dits amoureux and plays, proved hugely influential for other European literary traditions in the medieval period and beyond. This Companion offers a wide-ranging and stimulating guide to literature composed in medieval French from its beginnings in the ninth century until the Renaissance. The essays are grounded in detailed analysis of canonical texts and authors such as the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Villon's Testament, Chrétien de Troyes, Machaut, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. Featuring a chronology and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal companion for students and scholars in other fields wishing to discover the riches of the French medieval tradition.