"The twelfth-century French romance Guillaume de Palerne offers an unusual vision of the medieval world, in which the hero confronts the obstacles that fate - not his quest for fame - has set in his path. It is the story of a young prince of Sicily who is kidnapped by a werewolf - and also the parallel story of Alphonse, the Spanish prince who was transformed into a werewolf by his stepmother. Into this engaging plot the anonymous poet has woven humor, contemporary illusions, reworkings of traditional motifs, and a hidden moral lesson. The romance also portrays both the constancy and the changeability of identity, providing new insight into the medieval attitude toward individuality." "Based primarily on Alexandre Micha's 1990 edition, this translation is intended as a guide to reading the original. Editor Leslie Sconduto has produced a translation faithful to the register and tone of the original, including its original word order and grammatical structure. The book includes an introduction, notes and select bibliography."--BOOK JACKET.