Medieval Literature

This is an introduction to Medieval literature for undergraduates, graduate students and general readers. Rather than assuming a defensive or reactive posture vis-a-vis the Renaissance (the period that coins the terms "Medieval" and "Middle Ages", and defines their pejorative connotations), it celebrates all that is singular and vibrant in this formative, pre-print period. Discussion is concentrated on writing in Middle English - particularly as developed between 1375 and 1400, one of the greatest phases of English literary creativity, but reference is also necessarily made to continental texts forming part of the greater European milieu.