Boydell Press Law, Literature, and Social Regulation in Early Medieval England: 47 (Anglo-Saxon Studies)

Pre-Conquest English law was among the most sophisticated in early medieval Europe. It played a crucial role in the evolution of early English identity and exercised a formative influence on the development of the Common Law. This collection explores the richness of pre-Conquest legal writing by looking beyond its traditional codified form. Drawing on a number of methodologies, ranging from traditional philology to legal and literary theory, the essays examine the intersection between traditional juridical texts and a wide range of literary genres.