A Companion to Medieval Popular Romance

Studies in Medieval Romance

by Raluca L. Radulescu (Contributor), Cory James Rushton (Editor)

Popular romance was one of the most wide-spread forms of literature in the middle ages, yet despite its cultural centrality, and its fundamental importance for later literary developments, the genre has defied precise definition, its subject matter ranging from tales of chivalric adventure, to saintly women, and monsters who become human. The essays in this collection seek to provide an inclusive and thorough examination of romance. They provide contexts, definitions, and explanations for the genre, particularly in, but not limited to, an English context. Topics covered include genre and literary classification; race and ethnicity; gender; orality and performance; the romance and young readers; metre and form; printing culture; and reception. CONTRIBUTORS: ROSALIND FIELD, RALUCA L. RADULESCU, MALDWYN MILLS, GILLIAN ROGERS, JENNIFER FELLOWS, THOMAS H. CROFTS, ROBERT ALLEN ROUSE, JOANNE CHARBONNEAU, DESIREE CROMWELL, AD PUTTER, KARL REICHL, PHILLIPA HARDMAN, CORY JAMES RUSHTON

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 18, 2009

About the author

Prof. Raluca Radulescu is Co-director of IMEMS (Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Bangor and University of Aberystwyth) and President of the British Branch of the International Arthurian Society and Editor of the Journal of the International Arthurian Society.

Educated at University of Bucharest (BA) and Manchester (MPhil, PhD), Dr Radulescu has taught at the Universities of Manchester, Trinity College Dublin and François Rabelais, Tours, and held fellowships at New Europe College, Institute for Advanced Studies, (Bucharest), Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (Paris) and the Huntington Library (as Andrew Mellon fellow).