Neidhart is seen alongside Walther von der Vogelweide as the most original and effective medieval poet. Whether it is Nature personified, in which Summer and Winter beat each other up for the blossom garment of the forest, or the knight hungry for love who on his expeditions into the countryside offends against courtly values in Neidhart s work, the standards of classical courtly love poetry are parodied. His oeuvre is contained in 25 extant manuscripts from the 13th 15th centuries. Working from the original manuscripts, the author orders and assesses the song collection using criteria...