This is the first introduction in German to the Wigalois by Wirnt von Grafenberg, written around 1200. The introduction is written for the general reader, with a target readership both of students of medieval German literature and of a wider audience of those seeking an initial approach to the text. Each section of the romance is summarized exactly, the most important intertextual references are pointed up, and each scene is located within the overall context of the text using the findings of most recent research. In addition, this introduction provides information on the author, transmission of the text, its editorial history, and the structure and most important complexes of motifs in the Wigalois. Particular emphasis is placed on the productive medieval reception of the romance and its most important representatives, with the Erfurt version discovered in 2006 being presented for the first time. The introduction concludes with structured bibliographies and an index.

Christoph Fasbender, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena.