It is often supposed that there is between the 'Old English' period that produced Beowulf and the 'Middle English' period that produced Chaucer a kind of literary 'gap' in which little or nothing happened. In fact a very large quantity of fascinating work, mainly in Latin or Anglo-Norman, but also in 'Early Middle English', appeared. This anthology makes available to the modern reader a range of texts from this period, in translation or helpfully glossed form, providing something of the rich treasure trove of literature that was produced between the Norman Conquest and the Black Death. The diversity of genres included here is astonishing - chronicle, history, legends, plays, lyrics, debates, romances, and stories of all shapes and kinds. This anthology will prove to be indispensable reading for the study of Medieval English literature.To a scholar of the twelfth century, this volume is delightful, giving vibrant literary life to a period whose literature can be overlooked. From the Norman Conquest to the Black Death is thoroughgoing, illuminating, and eminently readable.
