This collection of original essays by an international group of distinguished medievalists provides a comprehensive introduction to the Morte Darthur, the great work of Sir Thomas Malory, which will be indispensable for both students and scholars. As well as essays on the eight tales which make up the Morte Darthur, these are studies of the relationship between the Winchester manuscript and Caxton's and later editions; the political and social context in which Malory wrote; his style and sources; and his treatment of two key concepts in Arthurian literature, chivalry and the representation of women. The volume also includes a brief biography of Malory with a list of the historical records relating to him and his family. It ends with a discussion of the reception of the Morte Darthur from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, and a select bibliography.