Drawing on the theoretical methods of such writers as Caroline Walker Bynum and others who apply feminist and gender approaches to their analysis of the Middle Ages, Heng provides a
thought-provoking analysis of the origins and expression of a range of medieval romances. Pursuing themes that include race, cannibalism, magic, chivalry, sex, and conquest, Heng examines works
that include Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the kings of Britain , Richard Coer de Lyon , the hagiographical cycle of Saint Constance, Mandaville's Travels , and the legend of Prester John.
Rather than a close literary analysis, Heng uses these works to show the cultural attitudes, changing knowledge of the world, and notions of Europeans' place in it, which, she argues, led to
the works' composition. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
