Since the rediscovery of the Nibelungenlied in the mid-eighteenth century, this medieval German poem has exercised a remarkable fascination, but very little work has been devoted to interpretation according to the methods of modern criticism. Until very recently Nibelungenlied scholarship has concentrated on establishing the texts and on tracing the sources of the poems. Relatively few articles and books examine and analyse the work itself.
In the study, emphasis is on the literary value of the Nibelungenlied rather than on philological questions surrounding it: it offers a close, detailed examination of the text itself. The commentary form used by the authors enables them to pursue individual observations and interpretations: their readings are often novel, frequently challenge more conservative approaches, and stimulate the reader to take his own stand.
An extensive introduction accompanies the line-by-line commentary and includes a summary of the plot, discussions of interpretation, metre, genesis, and scholarship. Two maps and a bibliography of Nibelungenlied literature are also provided.