A reference work providing a comprehensive guide to the literature written between 500 and 1500 AD. While the volume is primarily devoted to the early literature of England, it also includes entries on historical persons and relevant topics from elsewhere in Europe. Multicultural in scope, the book examines Celtic, Islamic, Hispanic, Germanic, Italian, Mongolian and Russian influences on the literature and culture of the Middle Ages. There are extended entries on major English authors such as Malory and Chaucer, and for entire genres, such as drama, lyric, ballad, debate, saga and chronicle.