Romance Epic

Romance Epic, edited by Hans-Erich Keller and published in 1987 by Medieval Institute Publications, represents a scholarly effort to consolidate critical research on the evolution of the medieval epic genre. The volume originated from a specific academic context, likely reflecting the collaborative discourse of the era's medievalist circles, who sought to bridge the gap between traditional philology and emerging literary theory in the study of Romance languages and literatures.

The design and editorial direction were heavily influenced by Keller's established expertise as a medievalist and scholar of the Old French epic. The collection aims to provide a rigorous, technical examination of the form, catering to researchers rather than general readers. It was received by the academic community as a reliable reference, noted for its disciplined focus on the structural and historical complexities inherent in epic poetry from the medieval period.