Middle English Prose Romance

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Olivia Colquitt (Heinrich Heine Universität)

Ed. by Sarah Peverley, University of Liverpool
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

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Literature Topic

Dates

Date of occurrence 1225- c.1500

Places

England (Location)

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Introduction

Middle English prose romance emerged relatively late in England, entering the literary scene around the mid-fifteenth century and only gaining significant momentum with the arrival of the printing press. The importation of printed books from Continental Europe provided new material for writers to translate into English. After establishing England’s first printing press in 1476, William Caxton played a key role in the translation and dissemination of French prose romances into English. As a result, English prose romances became more widely accessible than their verse counterparts, with readership increasing across the upper and middle classes. This literary corpus was novel to English readers in multiple ways: not only was this the first time that many of these stories had

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6094 words

Citation: Colquitt, Olivia. "Middle English Prose Romance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19724, accessed 18 January 2025.]

Middle English Prose Romance

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