The Cambridge Companion to Medieval French Literature (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

Medieval French literature encompasses 450 years of literary output in Old and Middle French, mostly produced in Northern France and England. These texts, including courtly lyrics, prose and verse romances, dits amoureux and plays, proved hugely influential for other European literary traditions in the medieval period and beyond. This Companion offers a wide-ranging and stimulating guide to literature composed in medieval French from its beginnings in the ninth century until the Renaissance. The essays are grounded in detailed analysis of canonical texts and authors such as the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Villon's Testament, Chrétien de Troyes, Machaut, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. Featuring a chronology and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal companion for students and scholars in other fields wishing to discover the riches of the French medieval tradition. THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO MEDIEVAL FRENCH LITERATURE......Page 2 Contents......Page 6 List of illustrations......Page 8 Notes on contributors......Page 10 Chronology......Page 12 Introduction......Page 24 1 The Chanson de Roland......Page 42 2 The Old French Vulgate cycle......Page 56 3 Le Roman de la rose......Page 69 4 The Testament of François Villon......Page 84 5 Chrétien de Troyes......Page 98 6 The Châtelain de Couci......Page 114 7 Guillaume de Machaut......Page 128 8 Christine de Pizan......Page 142 9 Narrative genres......Page 156 10 Lyric poetry of the later Middle Ages......Page 170 11 Genre, parody, and spectacle......Page 184 12 Theatre and theatricality......Page 198 13 Feudalism and kingship......Page 212 14 Clerks and laity......Page 225 15 The marital and the sexual......Page 240 16 Others and alterity......Page 253 Appendix: Reference works for Old and Middle French......Page 266 Bibliography of medieval French texts......Page 270 Suggested further reading......Page 275 Index......Page 284 Medieval French literature encompasses 450 years of literary output in Old and Middle French, mostly produced in Northern France and England. These texts, including courtly lyrics, prose and verse romances, dits amoureux and plays, proved hugely influential for other European literary traditions in the medieval period and beyond. This Companion offers a wide-ranging and stimulating guide to literature composed in medieval French from its beginnings in the ninth century until the Renaissance. The essays are grounded in detailed analysis of canonical texts and authors such as the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Villon's Testament, Chretien de Troyes, Machaut, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. Featuring a chronology and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal companion for students and scholars in other fields wishing to discover the riches of the French medieval tradition