Gesta Romanorum

This volume contains an entirely new and accessible translation into modern English of the medieval Latin Gesta Romanorum. Based on the standard Gesta edition by Hermann Österley it is the first such translation to appear since 1824 and the first to take appropriate account of modern scholarly priorities. The Gesta Romanorum are tales drawn from a wide variety of sources such as classical mythology legend and historical chronicles and are accompanied in almost every case by allegorical Christian interpretations. They were enormously popular throughout the Middle Ages and had a huge influence on many other authors such as Boccaccio Chaucer Gower Hoccleve Shakespeare Bernard Shaw and Thomas Mann. The Gesta is therefore a foundational work of western European literature - as well as one whose lively well-crafted and often entertaining narratives hold a continuing appeal for contemporary readers.