The Routledge Companion to Medieval English Literature

The Routledge Companion to Medieval English Literature offers a new, inclusive, and comprehensive context to the study of medieval literature written in the English language from the Norman Conquest to the end of the Middle Ages. Utilising a Trans-European context, this volume includes essays from leading academics in the field across linguistic and geographic divides. Extending beyond the traditional scholarly discussions of insularity in relation to Middle English literature and ‘isolationism’, this volume: Oversees a variety of genres and topics, including cultural identity, insular borders, linguistic interactions, literary gateways, Middle English texts and traditions, and modern interpretations such as race, gender studies, ecocriticism, and postcolonialism. Draws on the combined extensive experience of teaching and research in medieval English and comparative literature within and outside of anglophone higher education and looks to the future of this fast-paced area of literary culture. Contains an indispensable section on theoretical approaches to the study of literary texts. This Companion provides the reader with practical insights into the methods and approaches that can be applied to medieval literature and serves as an important reference work for upper-level students and researchers working on English literature.

Table of Contents:
Medieval English Literature: A trans-European Literary History Raluca Radulescu and Sif Rikhardsdottir PART I:THE FORMS OF LITERATURE: INTRODUCTION Raluca Radulescu and Sif Rikhardsdottir Orality, Vocality, and Textuality Karl Reichl Vernacularity Wendy Scase Books and Materiality J. R. Mattison and Alexandra Gillespie Form and Genre Julie Orlemanski PART II: INSULAR BORDERS AND LINGUISTIC INTERACTIONS: INTRODUCTION Raluca Radulescu Middle Welsh Helen Fulton Irish Aisling Byrne Scottish Caitlin Flynn Multilingualism Ad Putter PART III: LITERARY GATEWAYS: INTRODUCTION Sif Rikhardsdottir ‘Travel’ of the Mind via Study: translatio studii et imperii Elizaveta Strakhov ‘Travel’ of the Soul via Religiosity: Imaginary and Actual Pilgrimages Ryan Perry French-Speaking Courts and Literary Dominance in Europe Keith Busby The Norman Rule Laura Ashe The Venetian Gateway: Commerce, Plague, Oriental Motifs Sif Rikhardsdottir Origination and Mediation: Sicily David Wallace Islamic Pathways and Imaginary Borders Shirin A. Khanmohamadi Mercantile Networks Craig E. Bertolet Maps and the Medieval World at Large Matthew Boyd Goldie PART IV: MIDDLE ENGLISH TEXTS AND TRADITIONS: INTRODUCTION Raluca Radulescu The Endurance of Early English Literary Traditions Orietta Da Rold Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Chronicle Tradition Jaclyn Rajsic Marie de France and Middle English Romance Cory James Rushton Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Alliterative Tradition Lawrence Warner Geoffrey Chaucer Marion Turner John Gower Siân Echard William Langland: European Poet? Marco Nievergelt Hoccleve and Lydgate: Transnationalism and Tradition Sebastian J. Langdell Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich, and Female Spirituality Laura Kalas The Middle English Lyrics in Their European Context Christiania Whitehead Medieval English Drama and Performance Charlotte Steenbrugge Thomas Malory Raluca Radulescu Hagiography Karen A. Winstead PART V: THE MODERN MIDDLE AGES: INTRODUCTION Sif Rikhardsdottir Emotion Andrew Lynch Race Wan-Chuan Kao Gender/Queer Laura Saetveit Miles and Samantha Katz Seal Postcolonialism Patricia Clare Ingham and Abby Ang Ecocriticism Michael J. Warren Human/Animal Karl Steel Medievalism David Matthews