An Anthology of Medieval Love Debate Poetry

"An important contribution to the late-medieval debate about the nature and value of romantic love, lovers' duties, the relative amorous merits of knights and clerics, and above all the differing obligations and rewards that love holds for women and for men."---Encomia

"The volume is extremely well-executed, presenting a set of works that have been carefully chosen, presented, and translated. Altmann and Palmer have performed a valuable service for both scholars and students of late medieval literature."---Medieval Review

"Of particular use for those studying the treatment of love and gender in medieval literature."---Medium AEvum

This anthology of medieval love debate poems---comprising five masterpieces of the genre---explores the many compelling mysteries raised by the experience of romantic love. Featuring all new translations, some have been translated into modern English for the first time. This work provides a solid foundation for discussions of the love debate genre and medieval literary treatments of love, as well as pertinent facts of literary history and biographical details about the poets, whose work spans more than 100 years.

Barbara K. Altmann, associate professor of French at the University of Oregon, is the author of The Love Debate Poems of Christine de Pizan (UPF).
R. Barton Palmer, Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature at Clemson University, is the author or editor of several books, including Guillaume de Machaut: La Prise d'Alexandrie and Jean Froissart: An Anthology of Narrative and Lyric Poetry.