The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Law and Literature

A comprehensive and wide-ranging account of the interrelationship between law and literature in Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor England.

Candace Barrington (Edited by), Sebastian Sobecki (Edited by)

9781107180789, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 August 2019

232 pages, 3 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.7 cm, 0.47 kg

'The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Law and Literature provides a useful introduction to the intersection of law and literature from the Middle Ages … this collection provides a rewarding read, and it will be of use to a broad array of literary scholars in later periods, as well as to those researching the origins of so many political and theological controversies in Anglo-American culture, many of which are shown to have their roots in medieval legal contexts.' Brian C. Lockey, Renaissance Quarterly

Despite an unprecedented level of interest in the interaction between law and literature over the past two decades, readers have had no accessible introduction to this rich engagement in medieval and early Tudor England. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Law and Literature addresses this need by combining an authoritative guide through the bewildering maze of medieval law with concise examples illustrating how the law infiltrated literary texts during this period. Foundational chapters written by leading specialists in legal history prepare readers to be guided by noted literary scholars through unexpected conversations with the law found in numerous medieval texts, including major works by Chaucer, Langland, Gower, and Malory. Part I contains detailed introductions to legal concepts, practices and institutions in medieval England, and Part II covers medieval texts and authors whose verse and prose can be understood as engaging with the law.

Part I. Legal Contexts: 1. English law before the conquest Stefan Jurasinski
2. Languages and law in late medieval England: English, French and Latin Gwilym Dodd
3. Canon and civil law Peter D. Clarke
4. Custom and common law Paul Raffield
5. Magna Carta and statutory law Anthony Musson
6. Treatises, tracts, and compilations Don C. Skemer
Part II. Literary Texts: 7. Treason Neil Cartlidge
8. Complaint literature Wendy Scase
9. Political literature and political law Andy Galloway
10. William Langland Emily Steiner
11. Geoffrey Chaucer Candace Barrington
12. John Gower R. F. Yeager
13. Lollards and religious writings Fiona Somerset
14. Lancastrian literature Sebastian Sobecki
15. Middle English romance and Malory's Le Morte Darthur Corinne Saunders
16. Marriage and the legal culture of witnessing Emma Lipton.

Subject Areas: Law: study & revision guides [LR], Literary companions, book reviews & guides [DSRC], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Literature: history & criticism [DS]