Contributors: Alexander Kerr, Jean Subrenat, Joseph J. Duggan, Judith Belam, Marianne Ailes, Philippe Verelst, Francois Suard, Karen Pratt, James Simpson, Philip E. Bennett, Peter Noble, Tony Hunt, Edward A. Heinemann, Finn Sinclair, Colin Smith, Gordon Knott, Jan A. Nelson

Charles the king, our emperor great, Has been a full seven years in Spain. As far as the sea he conquered this haughty land. Not a single castle remains standing in his path Charlemagne (768-814) was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 and presided over a huge empire. He frequently appears in literature as a great warlord and pious crusading figure. In 778, the rearguard of Charlemagne's retreating army was ambushed and defeated at the battle of Roncevaux. This became the inspiration for songs and poems celebrating deeds of valour in the face of overwhelming odds, through the character of Charlemagne's nephew (the imaginary) Roland. The Song of Roland is the most stirring and moving epic poem of the European Middle Ages, offering a particularly heady mixture of history, legend, and poetry. Presented here in a lively and idiomatic new translation, the Song of Roland offers fascinating insights into medieval ideas about heroism, manhood, religion, race, and nationhood which were foundational for modern European culture. The Song of Roland is accompanied here by two other medieval French epics about Charlemagne, both of which show him to be a far more equivocal figure than that portrayed by the Roland: the Occitan Daurel and Beton, in which he is a corrupt and avaricious monarch; and the Journey of Charlemagne to Jerusalem and Constantinople, which gives the heroes of the Roland a comic makeover.

This sourcebook of texts in modern translation makes accessible key anti-feminist works, together with a surprising range of early texts championing women.

The essays in this collection celebrate the research and teaching career of Dr ELSPETH KENNEDY (St Hilda's College, Oxford), distinguished Arthurian and medievalist. Papers focus on the processes of innovation and transformation and the relationship between tradition and originality in medieval literature. They consider shifts from one genre to another and their implications for audience expectations; transpositions of a theme or story within or between narratives; and the process of rewriting a work in the same language. A variety of different approaches are used, reflecting the latest research in, among others, gender studies, generic intertextuality, translation theory, psychoanalysis, and anthropology. Several literary genres are treated, and works in different languages (Latin, Old and Middle French, Middle High German, Old and Middle English) are examined.Contributors: KAREN PRATT, EMMANULE BAUMGARTNER, DONALD MADDOX, SARA STURM-MADDOX, SARA KAY, ROGER PENSOM, MAUREEN BOULTON, JANICE M. PINDER, NICHOLAS WATSON, ALBRECHT CLASSEN, ANNE SAVAGE, PENNY ELEY, JOY WALLACE, CERIDWEN LLOYD-MORGAN, JANE TAY

This major reference work is the fourth volume in the series Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages. Principally focused on the production, dissemination, and evolution of Arthurian material from the twelfth to fifth centuries, this volume covers writing in both verse and prose, and addresses such classics as the Tristan legend, the "Vulgate Cycle," and the Grail Continuations.

This major reference work is the fourth volume in the series "Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages". Its intention is to update the French and Occitan chapters in R.S. Loomis' "Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History" (Oxford, 1959) and to provide a volume which will serve the needs of students and scholars of Arthurian literature. The principal focus is the production, dissemination and evolution of Arthurian material in French and Occitan from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Beginning with a substantial overview of Arthurian manuscripts, the volume covers writing in both verse (Wace, the Tristan legend, Chretien de Troyes and the Grail Continuations, Marie de France and the anonymous lays, the lesser known romances) and prose (the Vulgate Cycle, the prose Tristan, the Post-Vulgate Roman du Graal, etc.).