Hartmann von Aue is one of the great poets of the German vernacular which blossomed in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Although all his significant narrative works are readily available in English translations, and he has attracted considerable critical attention from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, this is the first book in English to be devoted primarily to the critical reception of Hartmann. In surveying the critical appraisal of Hartmann's oeuvre, from the late Romantics to contemporary criticism, it also serves as a good introduction to the poet.