A resource for courses in medieval literature. It provides students with a comprehensive guide to the historical and cultural context; major texts and movements; reading primary and critical texts; key critics, concepts and topics; major critical approaches and directions of new research.

Literature and Culture Handbooks are an innovative series of guides to major periods, topics and authors in British and American literature and culture. Designed to provide a comprehensive, one-stop resource for literature students, each handbook provides the essential information and guidance needed from the beginning of a course through to developing more advanced knowledge and skills. Written in clear language by leading academics, they provide an indispensable introduction to key topics, including: . Introduction to authors, texts, historical and cultural contexts . Guides to key critics, concepts and topics . An overview of major critical approaches, changes in the canon and directions of current and future research . Case studies in reading literary and critical texts . Annotated bibliography (including websites), timeline, glossary of critical terms. The Medieval British Literature Handbook is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to literature and culture in the Middle Ages, focusing particularly on Middle English and the period from 1300-1500.

Contributors to the handbook have creditably examined the threads of modern literary theory that enwrap medieval writing, a prodigious task requiring wide knowledge and acquaintance with intimate detail.