The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture Medieval Arthurian Literatures and Cultures
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The Early Arthur
- Part II Arthurian Literary Developments
- 5 Chrétien de Troyes
- 6 Arthur in Latin, Anglo-Norman and English Chronicles Prior to 1500
- 7 French Arthurian Verse Romance after Chrétien de Troyes
- 8 The Old French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles
- 9 Non-Cyclical French Arthurian Prose Romances
- 10 Arthurian Alliterative Poetry in English, 1250–1550
- 11 Middle English Arthurian Verse Romances
- 12 Sir Thomas Malory
- 13 Arthur in the Prose Brut Chronicle Tradition
- 14 Arthur in the Northern Lands
- 15 Arthur in the Medieval Low Countries
- 16 Arthur in Medieval Germany
- 17 Arthurian Literature in Medieval Central and Eastern Europe
- 18 Arthur in Irish, Scots, Cornish and Breton
- 19 The Iberian Arthur in the Middle Ages
- 20 Arthur in Medieval Italy
- Part III Cross-Cultural Medieval Arthur
- Part IV Imaging the Medieval Arthur
- Index
- References
11 - Middle English Arthurian Verse Romances
from Part II - Arthurian Literary Developments
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 January 2026
By
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The Early Arthur
- Part II Arthurian Literary Developments
- 5 Chrétien de Troyes
- 6 Arthur in Latin, Anglo-Norman and English Chronicles Prior to 1500
- 7 French Arthurian Verse Romance after Chrétien de Troyes
- 8 The Old French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles
- 9 Non-Cyclical French Arthurian Prose Romances
- 10 Arthurian Alliterative Poetry in English, 1250–1550
- 11 Middle English Arthurian Verse Romances
- 12 Sir Thomas Malory
- 13 Arthur in the Prose Brut Chronicle Tradition
- 14 Arthur in the Northern Lands
- 15 Arthur in the Medieval Low Countries
- 16 Arthur in Medieval Germany
- 17 Arthurian Literature in Medieval Central and Eastern Europe
- 18 Arthur in Irish, Scots, Cornish and Breton
- 19 The Iberian Arthur in the Middle Ages
- 20 Arthur in Medieval Italy
- Part III Cross-Cultural Medieval Arthur
- Part IV Imaging the Medieval Arthur
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter considers the Middle English Arthurian verse romances, and the ways in which these texts interact with the genre of Middle English romance at large. First, the chapter explores the relationship between expected audiences and the choice to write in verse when considering Arthurian subject matter. The chapter then turns to romances usually designated as non-Arthurian, and asks: to what extent do Arthur and his knights creep into narratives set outside, beyond or without the Arthurian court, and what might this tell us about the cultural impact of Arthurian material in medieval England? Finally, a number of romance tropes – the fair unknown, the loathly lady, and intruders of all kinds – are used to show Middle English verse romance’s potential to both reinforce and disrupt Arthurian courtly values.
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- The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and CultureMedieval Arthurian Literatures and Cultures, pp. 246 - 264Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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