Reading the Middle Ages : An Introduction to Medieval Literature

Preface 1(2) Introduction 3(18) The Religious Context 7(4) Literacy and Reading 11(3) The Medieval Poet 14(3) Thinking Medievally 17(2) On to the Literature 19(2) I. Beowulf On Digressions 21(5) Of Kings and Monsters 26(4) The Trouble with Geats 30(2) Beowulf and the Question of Evil 32(2) II. Chretien de Troyes Epic and Romance 34(5) Erec and Enide and Yvain 39(8) Lancelot and Perceval 47(6) III. The Lais of Marie de France Medieval Women Writers 53(2) The Lais 55(11) IV. The Romance of the Rose A Medieval "Best-Seller" 66(1) Focusing on Love 67(2) Guillaume's Dream 69(9) Jean Takes Over 78(6) V. The Tale of Genji Leaving Europe 84(5) Reading Genji 89(6) VI. Jewish Literature The Jews in Christian Europe 95(6) The Jews in Moslem Spain 101(10) VII. Sagas Iceland and the Sagas 111(6) Egil and Laxdoela 117(4) Njal's saga 121(5) VIII. Dante The High Point of the Middle Ages 126(4) Hell 130(5) Purgatory 135(4) Paradise 139(3) IX. Pearl and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fourteenth-Century England 142(4) Pearl 146(5) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 151(9) X. Chaucer Chaucer's Contemporaries 160(4) Early Chaucer 164(6) The Canterbury Tales 170(11) Epilogue (But Not a Retraction): From the Author to the Reader 181(2) Notes 183(2) Bibliography 185(2) Index 187