The Epistles on the Romance of the Rose, and other documents in the debate

This edition gathers and analyzes medieval epistles and documents that form the debate over the Romance of the Rose, presenting transcriptions, chronological notes, and commentary. It reproduces letters by figures such as Christine de Pizan alongside responses and treatises that critique allegory, eroticism, and moral language in the popular poem, and discusses manuscript transmission, authorship disputes, and rhetorical strategies. The introduction outlines historical reception and scholarly controversies, while annotated documents allow readers to trace arguments about decorum, theology, and literary purpose within fourteenth-century literary culture.