This book investigates how medieval German narrative poets conceptualized and articulated their own authorship within their works during the thirteenth century. Sebastian Coxon, a scholar of medieval German literature, examines the intersection of authorial self-presentation and the practical realities of manuscript transmission. By analyzing a range of vernacular texts, the study argues that poets navigated complex tensions between their intended literary personas and the ways their works were subsequently copied and circulated by scribes and compilers.

Scholars in the field of medieval studies recognize this monograph as a rigorous contribution to the understanding of vernacular literary identity. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the specialized focus on the mechanics of medieval text production.