Essays on the medieval chronicle tradition, shedding light on history writing, manuscript studies and the history of the book, and the post-medieval reception of such texts. The histories of chronicles composed in England during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and onwards, with a focus on texts belonging to or engaging with the Prose Brut tradition, are the focus of this volume. The contributors examine the composition, dissemination and reception of historical texts written in Anglo-Norman, Latin and English, including the Prose Brut chronicle (c. 1300 and later), Castleford's Chronicle (c. 1327),and Nicholas Trevet's Les Cronicles (c. 1334), looking at questions of the processes of writing, rewriting, printing and editing history. They cross traditional boundaries of subject and period, taking multi-disciplinary approaches to their studies in order to underscore the (shifting) historical, social and political contexts in which medieval English chronicles were used and read from the fourteenth century through to the present day. As such, the volume honours the pioneering work of the late Professor Lister M. Matheson, whose research in this area demonstrated that a full understanding of medieval historical literature demands attention to both the content of theworks in question and to the material circumstances of producing those works. JACLYN RAJSIC is a Lecturer in Medieval Literature in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London; ERIK KOOPER taughtOld and Middle English at Utrecht University until his retirement in 2007; DOMINIQUE HOCHE Is an Associate Professor at West Liberty University in West Virginia. Contributors: Elizabeth J. Bryan, Caroline D. Eckhardt,A.S.G. Edwards, Dan Embree, Alexander L. Kaufman, Edward Donald Kennedy, Erik Kooper, Julia Marvin, William Marx, Krista A. Murchison, Heather Pagan, Jaclyn Rajsic, Christine M. Rose, Neil Weijer

An examination of both the role played by Fortune in Arthurian literature and legend, and the fortunes of the legend itself. The essays in this volume offer a general overview and a number of detailed examinations of Arthur's fortunes, in two senses. First is the role of Fortune itself, often personified and consistently instrumental, in accounts of Arthur's court and reign. More generally the articles trace the trajectory of the Arthurian legend - its birth, rise and decline - through the middle ages. The final essay follows the continued turning of Fortune's wheel, emphasizingthe modern revival and flourishing of the legend. The authors, all distinguished Arthurian scholars, illustrate their arguments through studies of early Latin and Welsh sources, chronicles, romances [in English, French, German, Italian, Latin and Welsh], manuscript illustration and modern literary texts. Contributors: CHRISTOPHER A. SNYDER, SIAN ECHARD, EDWARD DONALD KENNEDY, W.R.J. BARRON, DENNIS H. GREEN, NORRIS LACY, CERIDWEN LLOYD-MORGAN, JOAN TASKER GRIMBERT, ALISON STONES, NEIL THOMAS, JANE H.M. TAYLOR, CAROLINE D. ECKHARDT, ALAN C LUPACK.

The idea of the quest, crucial to Arthurian literature, investigated in texts, manuscripts, and film. The theme of the quest in Arthurian literature - mainly but not exclusively the Grail quest - is explored in the essays presented here, covering French, Dutch, Norse, German, and English texts. A number of the essays trace the relationship, often negative, between Arthurian chivalry and the Grail ethos. Whereas most of the contributors reflect on the popularity of the Grail quest, several examine the comparative rarity of the Grail in certain literatures and define the elaboration of quest motifs severed from the Grail material. An appendix to the volume offers a filmography that includes all the cinematic treatments of the Grail, either as central theme or minor motif. This book will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers fascinated by the Arthurian and Grail legends. CONTRIBUTORS: NORRIS J. LACY, ANTONIO FURTADO, WILL HASTY, RICHARD TRACHSLER, MARIANNE E. KALINKE, MARTINE MEUWESE, DAVID F. JOHNSON, PHILLIP BOARDMAN, CAROLINE D. ECKHARDT, P.J.C. FIELD, JAMES P. CARLEY, RICHARD BARBER, KEVIN J. HARTY

Castleford's Chronicle is a long verse chronicle, written in a Northern English dialect, which recounts the traditional history of Britain from its foundation year to 1327. It is one of the earliest compendia in English of the events and legends of British history as then understood, and includes, for example, one of the earliest English language versions of the story of King Lear. Although the great majority of its historical episodes are conventional, the chronicle also offers some surprises, such as a version of the Norman Conquest in which Harold is said to marry William's sister, Elaine. The title Castleford's Chronicle, is conventional: although the name `Thomas Castelford' appears in the sole surviving manuscript, there is no conclusive evidence that a person of this name was the author. The work, which refers to itself at one point as The Book of Brut, has never before been edited in its entirety. The text survives in a single fifteenth-century manuscript. It has not hitherto been published. Volume 1 contains a short introduction and half of the text; volume 2 contains the remainder of the text. A third volume will be forthcoming at some future date containing a full Introduction, Notes,and Glossary.

Castleford's Chronicle is a long verse chronicle, written in a Northern English dialect, which recounts the traditional history of Britain from its foundation year to 1327. It is one of the earliest compendia in English of the events and legends of British history as then understood, and includes, for example, one of the earliest English language versions of the story of King Lear. Although the great majority of its historical episodes are conventional, the chronicle also offers some surprises, such as a version of the Norman Conquest in which Harold is said to marry William's sister, Elaine. The title Castleford's Chronicle, is conventional: although the name `Thomas Castelford' appears in the sole surviving manuscript, there is no conclusive evidence that a person of this name was the author. The work, which refers to itself at one point as The Book of Brut, has never before been edited in its entirety. The text survives in a single fifteenth-century manuscript. It has not hitherto been published. Volume 1 contains a short introduction and half of the text; volume 2 contains the remainder of the text. A third volume will be forthcoming at some future date containing a full Introduction, Notes,and Glossary.