Accessible to non-German speakersSpanning medieval German literature from the eighth and ninth centuries to the year 1400, this reference examines major literary works and is highly useful to advanced students of German, as well as accessible to non-German speakers.
Covers poetry, dramas, mysticismThis volume begins by covering the Old High German and Early Middle High German periods and the flowering of courtly literature circa 1200, treating such writers as Heinrich von Veldeke, Gottfried von Strasburg, and the anonymous poet of the Nibelungenlied.A section on lyric poetry covers Minnesang, the religious and political poems of Walther von der Vogelweide, and the social satire of Neidhart. The book also traces the literature of the 13th and 14th centuries, including the beginnings of medieval drama and the heroic Dietrich-epics. A section on mysticism concludes with a discussion of Johannes von Saaz.
Provides scholarly and reference informationEach entry lists manuscripts, editions, translations, facsimiles; describes scholarly problems, and presents a bibliography of secondary literature. The authors include a high proportion of works in English in the secondary literature, and have provided English translations for all German quotations. A chronological table of the more important works at the end of the book makes it easy to locate information. Chronology
