Medieval English Literature ─ Genres, Modes, Contexts

The medieval period offers a rich variety of literature and was crucial to the development of English Literature and particularly to the development of key literary genres. However, differences between Medieval and Modern language can make this a challenging area to approach.

In this handy guide, Corinne Saunders focuses on English and Continental literature, offering:

• An overview of the literature within the broader social, political and cultural history of the period

• the development of literary genres that remain recognisable and influential today – lyric, romance, drama

• the nature of manuscript culture, the limits on literacy in the medieval period, the importance of literary sources, and the very different attitudes of medieval writers to ideas of originality

• consideration of Medieval English Literature within a wider international context of cultural exchange

• Introductions to the most widely read authors of the time - the Gawain-poet, Langland, Chaucer, Gower and Malory – alongside some less familiar writers and genres

An epilogue will briefly trace the afterlives of medieval literature, and its role in shaping the English literary canon, particularly from the Romantic period onwards. This volume will be enlightening reading for anyone approaching study of Medieval literature, or interested in the development and origins of the literature we read today.

Corinne Saunders is Professor in the Department of English Studies at the University of Durham, UK.