This introductory chapter situates the analysis of medieval literary space in the wider context of spatial literary studies and the spatial turn. It first examines the influence of the spatial turn on medieval studies and discusses the relevance of the concept of “space” for the medieval period. The development of spatial literary studies and geocriticism, mostly in the field of postmodern literature, is then examined from the perspective of medieval literary studies. The introduction presents the Middle English Breton lays, which serve in the book as a case study for the analysis of popular romance more broadly, and expounds the methodology of the book, which draws both on historicist criticism and on contemporary spatial narratology in an attempt to bridge the gap between medieval literary studies and contemporary theories of fiction and of fictional space.