This is a one-stop resource for courses in medieval literature, providing students with a comprehensive guide to the historical and cultural context; major texts and movements; reading primary and critical texts; key critics, concepts and topics; and, major critical approaches and directions of new research. "The Medieval British Literature Handbook" is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to literature and culture in the middle ages, focusing particularly on Middle English and the period from 1300-1500. It offers a one-stop resource for students with the essential information and guidance needed at the beginning of a course through to developing more advanced knowledge and skills.It includes: introductions to authors, texts and contexts; guides to key critics, concepts and topics; an overview of major critical approaches, changes in the canon and directions of current and future research; case studies in reading primary and secondary texts; and, annotated further reading (including websites), timeline and a glossary of critical terms. Written in clear language by leading academics, it is an indispensable starting point for anyone beginning their study of medieval literature. "Literature and Culture Handbooks" are an innovative series of guides to major periods, topics and authors in British and American literature and culture. Designed to provide a comprehensive, one-stop resource for literature students, each handbook provides the essential information and guidance needed from the beginning of a course through to developing more advanced knowledge and skills.