The Cambridge Companion to Medieval French Literature

Aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students, this is a wide-ranging overview of the rich tradition of medieval French literature.

Simon Gaunt (Edited by), Sarah Kay (Edited by)

9780521679756, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 April 2008

302 pages, 9 b/w illus.
22.9 x 16.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.49 kg

'One of the merits of these essays is that they can be read in any order. Each contributor presents the works or author under discussion clearly, assuming no great background knowledge on the part of the reader, a positive for a volume intended for university students. The essays succeed in introducing medieval French literature and some of the current debates in that discipline to the non-specialist. I recommend [this book] most strongly.' French Review

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.

Chronology
Introduction Simon Gaunt and Sarah Kay
Part I. What Is a Medieval French Text?: 1. The Chanson de Roland Jane Gilbert
2. The Old French Vulgate cycle Peggy McCracken
3. Le Roman de la rose Noah D. Guynn
4. The Testament of François Villon Adrian Armstrong
Part II. What Is a Medieval French Author?: 5. Chrétien de Troyes Matilda Bruckner
6. The Châtelain de Couci Simon Gaunt
7. Guillaume de Machaut Deborah McGrady
8. Christine de Pizan Marilynn Desmond
Part III. What Is the Value of Genre for Medieval French Literature?: 9. Narrative genres Keith Busby
10. Lyric poetry of the later Middle Ages Jane H. M. Taylor
11. Genre, parody and spectacle Sarah Kay
12. Theatre and theatricality Helen Solterer
Part IV. How Can We Read Medieval French Literature Historically?: 13. Feudalism and kingship James R. Simpson
14. Clerks and laity Emma Campbell
15. The marital and the sexual William Burgwinkle
16. Others and alterity Sylvia Huot
Appendix. Reference works for Old and Middle French
Bibliography of medieval French texts
Suggested further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Literature: history & criticism [DS]