Savage Economy: The Returns of Middle English Romance.

Author / Editor
Wadiak, Walter.

Title
Savage Economy: The Returns of Middle English Romance.

Published
Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2016.

Physical Description
xiv, 196 pp.

Description
Traces the evolution of the romance to the start of the sixteenth century, and its repositioning from an aristocratic genre to one that was embraced by the common audience. Claims this move marks a shift from violence in its early stages to one of "gift-giving" as the romance evolved to its form by the year 1500. Although well-known contemporary examples of romance are considered, the study focuses on KnT and Sir Gawain. References CYT, FranT, MilT, ShT, SqT, Th, and WBT.

Chaucer Subjects
Knight and His Tale
Background and General Criticism