In England literary consciousness had its beginning in the middle ages, and this book, originally published in 1943, describes and illustrates the first phases of the growth of a tradition of criticism.

J. W. H. Atkins was a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge and Emeritus Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Aberystwyth

1. Introduction 2. The Medieval Inheritance 3. Early Grammarians: Bede and Alcuin 4. The Dawn of Humanism: John of Salisbury 5. Medieval Poetics: Geoffrey of Vinsauf and John of Garland 6. Check and Counter-Check to Literary Studies: John of Garland, Robert Grosseteste, Roger Bacon and Richard of Bury 7. Native Literary Problems: The Owl and the Nightingale, Wiclif, Chaucer 8. Native Literary Problems (continued): Caxton, Hawes, Skelton 9. Conclusion Appendix: Summary of Medieval poetic (Geoffrey of Vinsauf).