French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Berthelot, Histoire de la littérature française du Moyen Âge
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Anne Berthelot, Histoire de la littérature française du Moyen Âge
Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2006, 322 p.
ISBN : 2-7535-0129-7
EAN : 9782753501294
19 €
Publisher's overview:
At a time when the Middle Ages are being rediscovered, this literary history strives to present as comprehensive a range of works as possible, incorporating the findings of modern criticism while highlighting the unique character of an extensive era that is far richer and more diverse than is commonly believed.
Author biography:
A former student of the École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres, Anne Berthelot is an *agrégée* in literature and holds a Doctorate *ès lettres*. A medievalist specializing in the 13th century—and more particularly the prose romances of that period—she has been a professor of French at the University of Connecticut since 2001.
Anne Berthelots study belongs to the long-standing French tradition of academic literary histories designed to make specialized scholarship accessible to students and general readers alike. By engaging with modern critical perspectives, the volume moves beyond traditional pedagogical frameworks to reassess a vast period of literary production. The author focuses in particular on the complex narrative structures of the thirteenth century, examining how Arthurian prose romances and other foundational texts reshaped vernacular storytelling across medieval Europe.
This work serves as a valuable resource for university students, researchers in medieval studies, and anyone seeking a reliable overview of Old French literature. It addresses central questions regarding canon formation, genre evolution, and the reception of medieval texts in contemporary culture. Readers interested in the history of the novel, chivalric romance, and the broader intellectual currents of the European Middle Ages will find this contextualized survey an insightful companion to primary texts.