Beginning with an introduction that examines the portrayal of the characters of Lancelot and Guinevere from their origins to the present day, this collection of 16 essays-five of which appear here for the first time-puts particular emphasis on the appearance of the two characters in medieval and modern literature. Besides several studies exploring feminist concerns, the volume features articles on the representation of the lovers in medieval manuscript illuminations (18 plates focus on scenes of their first kiss and the consummation of the adultery), in film, and in other visual arts. A 200-item bibliography completes the volume.

The Figure of Lancelot in the Lancelot-Graal, Elspeth Kennedy * Lancelot and Guinevere in the Middle Dutch Lancelot-Compilation, Bart Besamusca * Illustrating Lancelot and Guinevere, Alison Stones * Unifying Makers: Lancelot and Guinevere in Modern Literature and Art, Muriel Whitaker * Which Queen? Guinevere's Transvestism in the French Prose Lancelot, E. Jane Burns * The Presentation of the Character of Lancelot: Chr tien to Malory, Derek Brewer * Lancelot: A Flawless Hero in a Symmetrical World, James A. Schultz * An Interpreter's Dilemma: Why Are There So Many Interpretations of Chr tien's Chevalier de la Charrette?, Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner * Arthurian Myth Devalued in Walker Percy's Lancelot, John Bugge * Lancelot's Last Metamorphosis, Jean-Marcel Paquette , translated by Marco D. Roman * The Character of Guinevere in the Arthurian Romances of Chr tien de Troyes, Peter Noble * Guinevere: A Re-Appraisal, Susanne Samples * Desire, Meaning, and the Female Reader: The Problem in Chr tien's Charrete, Roberta Krueger * Recovering Malory's Guinevere, Sarah J. Hill * The Figure of Guenevere in Modern Drama and Fiction, Elisabeth Brewer * Sharan Newman's Guinevere Trilogy, Harold J. Herman * Bibliography