1. The Effects of the Conquest 2. The Anglo-Latin Background 3. The Anglo-French Background 4. Legal and Historical Survivals 5. The Continuity of the Homilectic Tradition 6. The Ancren Riwle and its Influence 7. The Owl and the Nightingale 8. Religious and Didactic Literature 9. Romance 10. Tales and Fables 11. Lyric Poetry 12. The Beginnings of the Drama 13. Conclusion Index

Originally published in 1939, Early Middle English Literature is a comprehensive overview of various aspects of early Middle English literature. The book examines authorship and provenance and the effect this had upon the literature of the period. This text examines literature from the period of 1066 to 1300 and addresses the transition between Old and Middle English and looks at the effect the transition of language during this period from Anglo-French to English, had on the literature of the time.