From the Publisher
Despite their status as the major literature of the medieval commoner, the ballads of the Middle Ages have remained generally inaccessible. The present collection provides for the first time a comprehensive selection of these important poems in modern translation, organized according to theme and accorded brief synopses of their sources, motifs, interpretive problems, and cross-references. Moreover, Prof. Morgan's critical introduction establishes a social and historical context for the ballads of chivalry and romance and a general framework for their reading.
