Le bone Florence of Rome: a critical edition and facing translation of a Middle English romance analogous to Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale

Le Bone Florence of Rome is a Middle English tail-rhyme romance, the unique copy of which dates to the late fifteenth century. An analogue of Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale, it follow the adventures of a heroine who survives multiple exiles, sexual harassments and false accusations. At the same time, it explores such issues as abuse of power, the stakes of global conflict, women's place in society and their control over their own destiny, all of which are treated in significantly different ways from the Constance story and other medieval tales of calumniated women. This fresh edition is accompaned by a complete line-by-line translation, which makes the text accesible to readers at all levels. Its introduction offers a comprehensive analysis of the themes, ideologies and literary relationships of the romance, together with new insights into its local connections and a detailed description of its manuscript context. -- Provided by publisher