This book offers new insights into the rich and varied Dutch literature of the Middle Ages. Sixteen essays written by top scholars consider this literature in the context of the social, historical and cultural developments of the period in which it took shape. The collection includes studies of the most representative authors, genres and works of the time. A comparative chronological survey provides an overview of the main cultural, historical and literary events in Europe and the Netherlands between 1150 and 1500, and the bibliography lists English translations of medieval Dutch texts discussed.