In the history of medieval literature the beast-epic appears to occupy a strange, rather uncomfortable position. Le Roman de Renart, at least in the form given it by Pierre de Saint Cloud and his followers in Dutch and German, seems to have been accepted by most scholars as an epic to judge from the titles of several recent books, although this belief is not universal ... it must be admitted that recent editions, translations or studies of the Ecbasis captivi have had little effect in advancing our conception and understanding of its nature. Thus the position of the Ecbasis in the history of medieval literature is even more obscure than that of Le Roman de Renart or the Ysengrimus... - [Author]

Language: English