Groundbreaking surveys of the complex interrelationship between the languages of English and French in medieval Britain. With co-editors: CAROLYN COLLETTE, MARYANNE KOWALESKI, LINNE MOONEY, AD PUTTER, and DAVID TROTTER England was more widely and enduringly francophone in the Middle Ages than our now standard accounts of its history, culture and language allow. The French of England (also known as Anglo-Norman and Anglo-French) is the language of nearly a thousand literary texts, of much administration, and of many professions and occupations. English literary, linguistic and documentary history is deeply interwoven both with a continually evolving spectrum of Frenches used within and outside the realm, and cannot be fully grasped in isolation. The essays in this volume open up andbegin writing a new cultural history focussed on, but not confined to, the presence and interactions of francophone speakers, writers, readers, texts and documents in England from the eleventh to the later fifteenth centuries. They return us to a newly-alive, multi-vocal, complexly multi-cultural medieval England, in which the use of French and its interrelations with English and other languages involve many diverse groups of people. The volume's size testifies to the significance of England's francophone culture, while its chronological range shows the need for revision across the whole span of our existing narratives about medieval English linguistic and cultural history.. Contributors: HENRY BAINTON, MICHAEL BENNETT, JULIA BOFFEY, RICHARD BRITNELL, CAROLYN COLLETTE, GODFRIED CROENEN, HELEN DEEMING, STEPHANIE DOWNES, MARTHA DRIVER, MONICA H. GREEN, RICHARD INGHAM, REBECCA JUNE, MARYANNE KOWALESKI, PIERRE KUNSTMANN, FRANCOISE H. M. LE SAUX, SERGE LUSIGNAN, TIM WILLIAM MACHAN, JULIA MARVIN, BRIAN MERRILEES, RUTH NISSE, MARILYN OLIVA, W. MARK ORMROD, HEATHER PAGAN, LAURIE POSTLEWATE, JEAN-PASCAL POUZET, AD PUTTER, GEOFFRECTOR, DELBERT RUSSELL, THEA SUMMERFIELD, ANDREW TAYLOR, DAVID TROTTER, ELIZABETH M. TYLER, NICHOLAS WATSON, JOCELYN WOGAN-BROWNE, ROBERT F. YEAGER

[T]his volume is a major contribution both to the study of French (continental as well as insular) and English language and culture in the Middle Ages. * ANGLIA *
[A] volume notable for its singleness of purpose. [It] is a volume whose publication should have long-term influence on those who study medieval culture, as well as those who are interested specifically in the field of Anglo-Norman language and literature. * JOURNAL OF ENGLISH & GERMANIC PHILOLOGY *
The great majority of the essays assembled prove rich and provocative reads. [...] This is a groundbreaking and important collection and will be regarded as essential reading in years to come. Ralph Hanna, * SPECULUM *
The high quality of the contributions is matched by the presentation of the volume, which includes a comprehensive fifty-page bibliography and a series of indexes which cover all the contributions. This exemplary treatment further secures the volume's position as a resource which will be of great interest and use to scholars approaching the French of England from a broad range of perspectives. * MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW *

CAROLYN COLLETTE is an American literary critic whose work has focused on late Medieval Anglo-French literary culture. She is Professor Emerita of English literature at Mount Holyoke College. Ad Putter is Professor of Medieval English at the University of Bristol, UK, co-director of Bristol's Centre for Medieval Studies, and Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author and editor of numerous books, with a particular interest in Medieval Romance texts and the works of the Gawain poet. He is currently leading a research project on the literary heritage of Anglo-Dutch relations. The late W. MARK ORMROD was Professor Emeritus of History at the University of York; he published extensively on later medieval history. R.F. YEAGER is Emeritus Professor of English Literature and Language, University of West Florida. NICHOLAS WATSON teaches English at Harvard University. His research focuses on medieval English and North European literature, intellectual history, visionary writing and the role of the written vernacular. CAROLYN COLLETTE is an American literary critic whose work has focused on late Medieval Anglo-French literary culture. She is Professor Emerita of English literature at Mount Holyoke College. JULIA BOFFEY is Professor of Medieval Studies in the Department of English at Queen Mary University of London. Ad Putter is Professor of Medieval English at the University of Bristol, UK, co-director of Bristol's Centre for Medieval Studies, and Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author and editor of numerous books, with a particular interest in Medieval Romance texts and the works of the Gawain poet. He is currently leading a research project on the literary heritage of Anglo-Dutch relations. ANDREW TAYLOR is Professor of English at the University of Ottawa.