Reproduction of the original: Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama by E. Cobham Brewer

Excerpt from Epic and Romance Essays on Medieval Literature These essays are intended as a general description of some of the principal forms of narrative literature in the Middle Ages, and as a review Of some of the more interesting works in each period. It is hardly necessary to say that the conclusion is one in which nothing is concluded, and that whole tracts of literature have been barely touched on - the English metrical romances, the Middle High German poems, the ballads, Northern and Southern - which would require to be considered in any systematic treatment of this part of history. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Combining an accessible approach with innovative scholarship, this book provides up-to-date perspectives on a unique medieval literary genre. Carl Phelpstead draws on historical context, contemporary theory, and close reading to deepen our understanding of Icelandic saga narratives about the island's early history.