Middle English Romances

Once much maligned in the critical tradition, the Middle English romances are gradually recovering their respectability as a field of study as more and more scholars pay skillful and thoughtful attention to them. This book is both a product and a proponent of that trend. Extremely well-edited in true Norton style, this edition makes a selection of worthy (and, frankly, really fun to read) romances accessible to undergraduate students or, possibly, very bright and avid high-school readers. Though designated by theme, the texts chosen represent some of the most important influences on the Middle English romance: French originals vs. early English legends and the subgenres of the Arthurian tradition, the Breton lay, and the crusading romance. The source and background texts are, as always, important elements of the Norton critical editions that help students understand the shape and context of the work, and the criticism usefully covers the major points of theme, language, generic definition, and audience. Though there's so much more that can be said, this book accomplishes the enviable task of providing a complete sample for those students who will stop their study of the romance here as well as giving a solid introduction to those students who, as brave as questing knights, want to pursue the subject further.