Why has the medievalist impulse- as manifested in an attraction to the traditions of courtly love and chivalry- been ignored or marginalized in the context of American literature, especially given its prominence in studies of British literature? Kim Moreland sets out to answer this and other questions, providing close readings of a variety of texts, both familiar and unfamiliar, while drawing eclectically on theoretical approaches such as feminism, deconstruction, cultural criticism, and psychobiography. The Medievalist Impulse in American Literature is the first serious extended study on this subject. It opens the way for further investigation into the influence of medievalism, which continues to have an impact on American literature and culture today.