Preface . . vii
Abbreviations . . ix
Chronology . . xi
Maps . . xvi

Introduction . . 1
1. Conquest and Conqueror . . 12
2. Early Anglo-Latin Religious Prose . . 21
3. Science, Learning, and Instructive Stories . . 38
4. Early Anglo-Latin Historians, Scholars, Encyclopedists, and Entertainers . . 54
5. 'The Matter of Britain': Geoffrey of Monmouth . . 103
6. Early Anglo-Norman Poetry: Benedeit's Voyage of St Brendan . . 129
7. Anglo-Norman Verse Chronicles . . 146
8. English in the Earlier Period . . 169
9. Science, Learning, and Instruction: Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries . . 177
10. 'The Matter of Britain' in English: Layamon's Brut . . 198
11. Anglo-Latin Poetry: Songs and Satire . . 206
12. Saints' Lives and Visions . . 221
13. Anglo-Norman Romances . . 241
14. Romances and Outlaw Tales . . 262
15. Tales of Antiquity . . 276
16. Short Romances and Lais: Marie de France . . 290
17. Fables and Animal Stories: Marie de France and Others . . 313
18. Debate: The Owl and the Nightingale . . 332
19. Burlesque, Parody, Merry Tale . . 342
20. Early Middle English Religious Prose: the 'Katherine Group', the 'Wooing Group', and Ancrene Wisse . . 356
21. Moral and Religious Verse and Prose . . 374
22. English Romances . . 402
23. Lyrics: Anglo-Norman and Middle English . . 420
24. Drama . . 441
25. Later Chroniclers, Scholars, and Theologians . . 489
26. English Narrative in the Earlier Fourteenth Century: Robert Mannyng . .510
27. Earlier Fourteenth-century Alliterative Poems . . 521
28. Earlier Fourteenth-century Mystical Writing: Richard Rolle . . 541
29. Private Devotion: Henry of Lancaster's Le Livre de Seyntz Medicines . . 548
30. Wonders of the East: Mandeville's Travels . . 552

Bibliographical Notes—Further Reading . . 563
Index of headings and main sub-headings . . 583
Index of first lines of poems and verse extracts . . 587
Index of works . . 589
Index of authors . . 591