Excerpts from texts (with translation) from the French of medieval England offer a guide to medieval literary theory.

The use of French ("Anglo-Norman") in medieval England, and its intricate relationship with the use of English and Latin, is increasingly a focus of scholarly interest and activity, with the idea that there was multilingualism in all three tongues now generally accepted as a model. However, the study of this multilingualism has been hampered by a lack of language skills, and a reader from which to teach them. This is the gap the book proposed here seeks to fill. It offers a comprehensive selection of texts with facing translation, with full commentary and notes; an introduction; and other materials, including a glossary. It will act both as a textbook for learning and teaching Anglo-Norman, and a sourcebook and guide to the Francophone culture of medieval England, while the inclusion of texts which reflect on their own origins, purposes and audiences also provides information on medieval literary theory itself.