Theodore L. Steinberg is a retired professor from the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he taught courses in biblical, medieval and Renaissance literatures. He has published books on the Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Seforim and on the 14th century poem Piers Plowman. Steinberg has been awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He lives in Buffalo, New York.

“clear writing...highly accessible...a solid purchase”—Library Journal; “useful”—Mediaevistik; “helpful...engaging”—Medieval Academy of America.

• Table of ContentsPreface     Introduction     The Religious Context     Literacy and Reading     The Medieval Poet     Thinking Medievally     On to the Literature     I. BEOWULFOn Digressions     Of Kings and Monsters     The Trouble with Geats     Beowulf and the Question of Evil     II. CHRÉTIEN DE TROYESEpic and Romance     Erec and Enide and Yvain     Lancelot and Perceval     III. THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCEMedieval Women Writers     The Lais     IV. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSEA Medieval “Best-Seller”     Focusing on Love     Guillaume’s Dream     Jean Takes Over     V. THE TALE OF GENJILeaving Europe     Reading Genji     VI. JEWISH LITERATUREThe Jews in Christian Europe     The Jews in Moslem Spain     VII. SAGASIceland and the Sagas     Egil and Laxdoela     Njal’s Saga     VIII. DANTEThe High Point of the Middle Ages     Hell     Purgatory     Paradise     IX. PEARL AND SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHTFourteenth-Century England     Pearl     Sir Gawain and the Green Knight     X. CHAUCERChaucer’s Contemporaries     Early Chaucer     The Canterbury Tales     Epilogue     Notes     Bibliography     Index

Theodore L. Steinberg is a retired professor from the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he taught courses in biblical, medieval and Renaissance literatures. He has published books on the Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Seforim and on the 14th century poem Piers Plowman. Steinberg has been awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He lives in Buffalo, New York.

“clear writing...highly accessible...a solid purchase”—Library Journal; “useful”—Mediaevistik; “helpful...engaging”—Medieval Academy of America.

• Table of ContentsPreface     Introduction     The Religious Context     Literacy and Reading     The Medieval Poet     Thinking Medievally     On to the Literature     I. BEOWULFOn Digressions     Of Kings and Monsters     The Trouble with Geats     Beowulf and the Question of Evil     II. CHRÉTIEN DE TROYESEpic and Romance     Erec and Enide and Yvain     Lancelot and Perceval     III. THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCEMedieval Women Writers     The Lais     IV. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSEA Medieval “Best-Seller”     Focusing on Love     Guillaume’s Dream     Jean Takes Over     V. THE TALE OF GENJILeaving Europe     Reading Genji     VI. JEWISH LITERATUREThe Jews in Christian Europe     The Jews in Moslem Spain     VII. SAGASIceland and the Sagas     Egil and Laxdoela     Njal’s Saga     VIII. DANTEThe High Point of the Middle Ages     Hell     Purgatory     Paradise     IX. PEARL AND SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHTFourteenth-Century England     Pearl     Sir Gawain and the Green Knight     X. CHAUCERChaucer’s Contemporaries     Early Chaucer     The Canterbury Tales     Epilogue     Notes     Bibliography     Index

Theodore L. Steinberg is a retired professor from the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he taught courses in biblical, medieval and Renaissance literatures. He has published books on the Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Seforim and on the 14th century poem Piers Plowman. Steinberg has been awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He lives in Buffalo, New York.

“clear writing...highly accessible...a solid purchase”—Library Journal; “useful”—Mediaevistik; “helpful...engaging”—Medieval Academy of America.

• Table of ContentsPreface     Introduction     The Religious Context     Literacy and Reading     The Medieval Poet     Thinking Medievally     On to the Literature     I. BEOWULFOn Digressions     Of Kings and Monsters     The Trouble with Geats     Beowulf and the Question of Evil     II. CHRÉTIEN DE TROYESEpic and Romance     Erec and Enide and Yvain     Lancelot and Perceval     III. THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCEMedieval Women Writers     The Lais     IV. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSEA Medieval “Best-Seller”     Focusing on Love     Guillaume’s Dream     Jean Takes Over     V. THE TALE OF GENJILeaving Europe     Reading Genji     VI. JEWISH LITERATUREThe Jews in Christian Europe     The Jews in Moslem Spain     VII. SAGASIceland and the Sagas     Egil and Laxdoela     Njal’s Saga     VIII. DANTEThe High Point of the Middle Ages     Hell     Purgatory     Paradise     IX. PEARL AND SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHTFourteenth-Century England     Pearl     Sir Gawain and the Green Knight     X. CHAUCERChaucer’s Contemporaries     Early Chaucer     The Canterbury Tales     Epilogue     Notes     Bibliography     Index