This
book is the first collective examination of Late Medieval intimate first-person
narratives that blurred the lines between author, narrator, and protagonist and
usually feature personification allegory and courtly love tropes, creating an
experimental new family of poetry. In this volume, contributors analyze why the
allegorical first-person romance embedded itself in the vernacular literature
of Western Europe and remained popular for more than two centuries.

The
editors identify and discuss three predominant forms within this family: debate
poetry, dream allegories, and autobiographies. Contributors offer textual
analyses of key works from late medieval German, French, Italian, and Iberian
literature, with discussion of developments in England, as well.

Allegory
and the Poetic Self offers a
sophisticated, theoretically current discussion of relevant literature. This exploration of medieval "I" narratives
offers insights not just into the premodern period but also into Western
literature's subsequent traditions of self-analysis and identity crafting
through storytelling.