This accessible introduction to medieval French literature concentrates on how to enjoy reading this lively and influential literary tradition. Rather than offering a conventional literary history, Simon Gaunt suggests strategies for reading medieval French texts, many of which retell traditional stories. A common misconception among students and dated textbooks is that medieval French literature is merely a 'recording' of an oral tradition. This book draws a picture of medieval literature, showing that medieval writers were in fact very aware that they were retelling tales in a new medium.

The author shows that, although many early texts allude to oral sources for these stories, they belong to a sophisticated and witty written culture that revels in knowledge of competing interpretations of the same story and in the intellectual games that writing enables. Retelling the Tale gives those coming to medieval French literature for the first time a clear sense of how stimulating and enjoyable these texts can be.