Sentimental and Humorous Romances

Erik Kooper

ISBN 10: 1580441033 / ISBN 13: 9781580441032

Published by Medieval Institute Publications, US, 2006

About this Item

These five texts by anonymous authors comprise a rich genre introduction to Middle English romance. Covering several texts surviving from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, Sentimental and Humorous Romances presents readers with tales both widely read and rare in their circulation, ranging from stories of Charlemagne's ancestors to fringe Arthuriana, each with its own spin on the core theme of an unlikely love interest. Selections include a quintessential example of medieval European orientalism in Floris and Blancheflour, regional conflict in Sir Degrevant, the secrecy-driven lovers' tale of The Squire of Low Degree, and two comic burlesques set at a tournament feast. This edition is well-suited to use by newcomers to Middle English romance, while providing more familiar readers with striking examples of the genre's diverse thematic interests.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781580441032

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sentimental and Humorous Romances
• Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications, US
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580441033
• ISBN 13: 9781580441032
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This volume presents a unique collection of Middle English romances, each with a different view of society. One of the oldest English romances, Floris and Blancheflour, presents a tale of oriental wonders: a harem, an emir who never lacks a wife, eunuchs, and a garden housing a magical tree and spring. Sir Degrevant relates a tale of country nobility and marriage between the low and high ranks, while realistically illustrating their status and the ever-present issues of love and battle; The Squire of Low Degree is a poem about social mobility and the difference between reputation and wealth. The Tournament of Tottenham and its likely continuation, The Feast of Tottenham , are excellent examples of burlesque where the humor is inescapable: the bumpkin heroes in their stuffed sheepskins fighting with flails for the reeve's daughter, who is watching them with her pet hen on her lap, are a spectacle not easily forgotten. - from the Introduction

About the Author

Erik Kooper received both his MA and PhD degrees from Utrecht University, where he taught Old and Middle English until his retirement in 2007. Since then he has regularly taught courses and given guest lectures both at his own university, the Nijmegen Radboud University, and abroad, e.g. in Sofia (Bulgaria) and Ghent (Belgium). His main research interests are in the fields of Middle English literature and culture, and medieval historiography. In 1999 he founded the Medieval Chronicle Society (of which he was International President until 2008), and its yearbook The Medieval Chronicle, of which he is still the general editor.His other recent publications include an edition of four Middle English romances for the American TEAMS series (2006), an edition of the Middle English poem Arthur (2011), and several articles.