This Companion presents fifteen original and engaging essays by leading scholars on one of the most influential genres of Western literature. Chapters describe the origins of early verse romance in twelfth-century French and Anglo-Norman courts and analyze the evolution of verse and prose romance in France, Germany, England, Italy, and Spain throughout the Middle Ages. The volume introduces a rich array of traditions and texts and offers fresh perspectives on the manuscript context of romance, the relationship of romance to other genres, popular romance in urban contexts, romance as mirror of familiar and social tensions, and the representation of courtly love, chivalry, ‘other’ worlds and gender roles. Together the essays demonstrate that European romances not only helped to promulgate the ideals of elite societies in formation, but also held those values up for questioning. An introduction, a chronology and a bibliography of texts and translations complete this lively, useful overview.

 The volume fills a real gap in introductory medieval literary and cultural criticism  Unusually takes a comprehensive view of different romance traditions throughout Europe and throughout Middle Ages  Contributions are both accessible and original

Contents
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.