This casebook is an overview of the state of Christine de Pizan studies and a collection of new research in the field. It showcases the major lines of inquiry pursued by leading critics. The book focuses on the historical context of Christine's writing, her intertextual links with other writers of the day, her interest in the status and nature of women, and the production and reception of her works in manuscript.

Christine de Pizan wrote voluminously, commenting on various aspects of the late-medieval society in which she lived. Considered by many to be the first French woman of letters, Christine and her writing have been difficult to place ever since she began putting her thoughts on the page. Although her work was neglected in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, there has been a eruption of Christine studies in recent decades, making her the perfect subject for a casebook. This volume serves as a useful guide to contemporary research exploring Christine's life and work as they reflected and influenced her socio-political milieu.

The significance of the works of Alain Chartier in the development of European literature. Chartier in Europe is the first sustained enquiry into the distinctive influence of the fifteenth-century French poet and diplomat, Alain Chartier, on the reading and writing cultures of England, Italy, Scotland, and Spain,as well as France. Opening with essays that assess Chartier's own construction of an authoritative voice, the volume then analyses the transmission and reception context of his Latin and French prose and poetry, and examines theways in which the translation of his work into other vernaculars shaped his burgeoning reputation. Established and younger scholars from the fields of English, French, History, Scottish and Hispanic studies build a cross-disciplinary approach that illuminates Chartier's importance not only in the realm of French literature but in the evolution of a wider European literature. In addition, Chartier in Europe presents a full bibliography of published work on Chartier and includes a foreword by James Laidlaw, the first modern editor of Chartier's complete French poetical works. EMMA CAYLEY is Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Exeter; ASHBY KINCH is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Montana. OTHER CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara K. Altmann, Julia Boffey, Florence Bouchet, William Calin, Douglas Kelly, James Laidlaw, Joan E. McRae, Catherine Nall, ClaraPascual-Argente, Dana Symons.

29 studies of courtly literature from six different traditions in four languages. The essays presented here study the different linguistic and literary traditions of courtly literature, across four languages, using a wide range of approaches and taking a number of different perspectives; they reflect both current preoccupations in scholarship and perennial concerns, and use both traditional and new methodologies to study a variety of texts. Topics covered include ideologies of love and courtliness; women's voices and roles; incest and identity; poetics; historical approaches; and adaptations and transformations. First delivered at the 1998 meeting of the International Courtly Literature Society at Vancouver, the articles demonstrate the vitality of the field andoffer fresh new insights into the tradition of courtly literature as a whole.

"An accurate, elegant rendering of major late-medieval texts, crucial to our understanding of the courtly tradition and of Chaucer. Ideal for classroom use."--William Calin, University of Florida "Elegant and graceful translations of the most important authors of the late Middle Ages; each work brings a new take on the topic of love. A superb resource for students and scholars in comparative literature and medieval studies."--Wendy Pfeffer, University of Louisville This very first anthology of medieval love debate poems--comprising five masterpieces of the genre--explores the many compelling mysteries raised by the experience of romantic love. Some have been translated into modern English for the first time. With wit, ingenuity, and humor, these poems suggest intriguing answers to what contemporary inquirers would call questions of gender and sexual politics: Who loves better, men or women? Are men or women more faithful in love? Are women obligated to reciprocate the attentions of an ardent male? What qualities in a lover do women most desire? The contributors provide a foundation for the love debate genre and medieval literary treatments of love, as well as pertinent facts of literary history and biographical details about the poets, whose work spans more than 100 years. The volume features works that have been recognized for centuries as central texts of the medieval tradition: Christine de Pizan's Debate of the Two Lovers, Alain Chartier's Debate of the Four Ladies, Geoffrey Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women, and Guillaume de Machaut's Judgment of the King of Bohemia and Judgment of the King of Navarre. Each translation is appropriately annotated for student use. R. Barton Palmer is Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature at Clemson University. Barbara K. Altmann is associate professor of French at the University of Oregon.