v. 1. Anglo-Saxon poetry. Anglo-Norman poetry. Chansons de geste, or historical romances of the Middle Ages. On proverbs and popular sayings. On the Anglo-Latin poets of the twelfth century. Abelard and the scholastic philosophy. On Dr. Grimm's German mythology. On the national fairy mythology of England. On the popular superstitions of modern Greece.--v. 2. On Friar Rush and the frolicsome elves. Observations on Dunlop's History of fiction. On the history and transmission of popular stories. On the poetry of history. Adventures of Hereward the Saxon. The story of Eustace the monk. The history of Fulke Fitz Warine. On the popular cycle of the Robin Hood ballads. The conquest of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans. On old English political songs. On the Scottish poet Dunbar.
Summary
Thomas Wright presents this two-volume collection of essays on England in the Middle Ages. More than just examining folklore and legends, he conjectures why these stories have persisted for hundreds of years, what they say about the people telling them and many other issues relating to the audience.