Fifteen original essays offer an introduction to one of the most influential genres of Western literature.

Selective chronology; Introduction Roberta L. Krueger; Part I. The Origins, Forms, and Contexts of Medieval Romance: 1. The shape of romance in medieval France Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner; 2. Marvels of translation and crises of transition in the romances of antiquity Christopher Baswell; 3. Romance and other genres Simon Gaunt; 4. The manuscript context of medieval romance Sylvia Huot; Part II. European Romance and Medieval Society: Issues for Debate: 5. Courts, clerks, and courtly love Sarah Kay; 6. The societal role of chivalry in romance: Northwestern Europe Richard Kaeuper; 7. The other worlds of romance Jeff Rider; 8. Questions of gender in old French courtly romance Roberta L. Krueger; 9. Women and men in late medieval romance Sheila Fisher; Part III. European Transformations: 10. The evolution and legacy of French prose romance Norris J. Lacy; 11. Medieval German romance Ann Marie Rasmussen; 12. Chivalry and medieval Italian romance F. Regina Psaki; 13. Gawain and popular chivalric romance in Britain Thomas Hahn; 14. Middle English romance: family, marriage, intimacy Felicity Riddy; 15. Romance at the crossroads: medieval Spanish paradigms and Cervantine revisions Marina Brownlee; Editions and translations; Index.