Medieval Artistry and Exchange: Economic Institutions, Society, and Literary Form in Old French Narrative (American University Studies)

Medieval Artistry and Exchange presents a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of the economic, social, and political context of Medieval French epic, romance, and the Roman de la Rose. It examines the emergence of vernacular literature in medieval France in relationship to an unprecedented commercial revival which profoundly reshaped society. This work, which builds on literary, historical, anthropological, and linguistic studies, offers valuable insights concerning the way that literary texts and social context are both mutually informing as well as mutually reflective of the tensions inherent in the moment of ideological evolution they mark.