diff --git a/Doc/library/email.contentmanager.rst b/Doc/library/email.contentmanager.rst
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Doc/library/email.contentmanager.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,358 @@
+:mod:`email.contentmanager: Managing MIME Content
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+.. module:: email.contentmanager
+   :synopsis: Storing and Retrieving Content from MIME Parts
+
+.. moduleauthor:: R. David Murray <rdmurray@bitdance.com>
+.. sectionauthor:: R. David Murray <rdmurray@bitdance.com>
+
+
+.. note::
+
+   The contentmanager module has been included in the standard library on a
+   :term:`provisional basis <provisional package>`. Backwards incompatible
+   changes (up to and including removal of the module) may occur if deemed
+   necessary by the core developers.
+
+.. versionadded:: 3.4
+   as a :term:`provisional module <provisional package>`.
+
+The :mod:`~email.message` module provides a class that can represent an
+arbitrary email message, regardless of whether it is a non-MIME format message,
+or is in MIME format (has a MIME-Version header).  That basic message model has
+a useful and flexible API, but it only knows about the general structure of a
+message.  Actual MIME messages and message subparts can have additional
+structure and semantics.  This module provides classes and tools for handling
+various specific types of content in a flexible and extensible fashion,
+including the ability to retrieve the content of the message as a specialized
+object type rather than as a simple bytes object.  The module takes care of the
+RFC-specified MIME details for the various common content types, and support
+for additional types can be added by an application using the extension
+mechanisms.
+
+To provide an API that makes content management simpler, we define a
+subclass of :class:`~email.message.Message` named :class:`.MIMEMessage`.
+Note: a ``MIMEMessage`` can still be used to represent a non-MIME,
+text-body-only message during parsing, but that is a case that happens only
+rarely in today's world.
+
+This module defines the eponymous "Content Manager" classes.  The base
+:class:`.ContentManager` class defines an API for registering content
+management functions, creating mappings between MIME content types and other
+representations (files or Python objects).  Three subclasses of
+:class:`.ContentManager` provide concrete implementations of the content
+management protocol:  :class:`RawDataManager` maps between content types and
+``str`` or ``bytes`` data (and requires that you manage all of the MIME
+parameters by hand), :class:`FileManager` uses the :mod:`mimetypes` module to
+map between MIME content types and file objects, and :class:`ObjectManager`
+maps between MIME content types and specific Python object types that represent
+that content.  This module also defines a few helper classes that can be used
+when creating MIME parts from content when using the :class:`ObjectManager`.
+
+.. note::
+
+   Although :class:`.MIMEMEssage` is currently documented in this module
+   because of the provisional nature of the code, the implementation lives
+   in the :mod:`email.message` module.
+
+
+.. class:: MIMEMessage(policy=default)
+
+   The *policy* argument determines the :mod:`~email.policy` that will be used
+   to update the message model.  The default value, :class:`default`, follows
+   the rules of the email RFCs except for line endings: instead of the RFC
+   mandated ``\r\n``, it uses the Python standard ``\n`` line endings.  For
+   more information see the :mod:`~email.policy` documentation.
+
+   This class is a subclass of :class:`~email.message.Message`.  It adds
+   the following methods:
+
+
+   .. method:: get_body(preferencelist=('releated', 'html', 'plain'))
+
+      Return the MIME part that contains the notional ``body`` of the message.
+
+      *preferencelist* is a sequence of strings from the set ``related``,
+      ``html``, and ``plain``, and indicates the order of preference for the
+      content type of the part returned.  If ``html`` is included in the list
+      and ``related`` is not, returns the ``html`` part of a ``related`` part
+      if one is found.  If there is no part that matches at least one of the
+      types in the preference list, returns ``None``.  Note that for most
+      applications the only combinations that really make sense are
+      ``('plain',)``, ``('html', 'plain')``, and the default, ``('related',
+      'html', 'plain')``.
+
+      If called on a non-``multipart`` message, returns the part on which it
+      was called if that part is of a type that matches one of the preferences,
+      otherwise it returns ``None``.  Recall that if a part does not have
+      an explicit type it defaults to ``text/plain``.
+
+      If a part has a :mailheader:``Content-Disposition`` header, it is
+      only considered a body candidate if the value is ``inline``.
+
+
+   .. method:: iter_attachments()
+
+      Returns an iterator over all of the parts of the message that are not
+      candidate "body" parts.  That is, the first occurrence of each of
+      ``text/plain``, ``text/html``, ``multipart/related, or
+      ``multipart/alternative`` are skipped, and all remaining parts are
+      returned,  When applied directly to a ``multipart/related``, returns an
+      iterator over the all the related parts except an initial ``text`` part,
+      if there is one.  When applied directly to a ``multipart/alternative`` or
+      a non-``multipart``, returns an empty list.
+
+
+   .. method:: iter_parts()
+
+      Returns an iterator over all of the parts of the message, which will be
+      empty for a non-``multipart``.
+
+
+   .. method:: get_content(*args, content_manager=None, **kw)
+
+      Calls the ``get_content`` method of the *content_manager*, passing itself
+      as the message object, and passing along any other arguments or keywords
+      as additional arguments.  If *content_manager* is not specified, it
+      defaults to the ``content_manager`` specified by the current
+      :mod:`~email.policy`.
+
+
+   .. method:: set_content(*args, content_manager=None, **kw)
+
+      Calls the ``set_content`` method of the *content_manager*, passing itself
+      as the message object, and passing along any other arguments or keywords
+      as additional arguments.  If *content_manager* is not specified, it
+      defaults to the ``content_manager`` specified by the current
+      :mod:`~email.policy`.
+
+
+   .. method:: make_related(boundary=None)
+
+      Convert a non-``multipart`` message into a ``multipart/related`` message,
+      moving any existing content into the (new) first part of the
+      ``mulitpart``.  Headers starting from :mailheader:`Content-Type` to the
+      end of the header list are moved to the new sub-part, any earlier headers
+      are left in the base part.  Optional *boundary* is the boundary string
+      for the newly created multipart.  When ``None`` (the default), the
+      boundary is calculated when needed (for example, when the message is
+      serialized).
+
+
+   .. method:: make_alternative(boundary=None)
+
+      Convert a non-``multipart`` or a ``multipart-related`` into a
+      ``multipart/alternative``, moving the existing content into the (new)
+      first part of the ``multipart``. Headers starting from
+      :mailheader:`Content-Type` to the end of the header list are moved to the
+      new sub-part, any earlier headers are left in the base part.  Optional
+      *boundary* is the boundary string for the newly created multipart.  When
+      ``None`` (the default), the boundary is calculated when needed (for
+      example, when the message is serialized).
+
+
+   .. method:: make_mixed(boundary=None)
+
+      Convert a non-``multipart``, a ``multipart-related``, or a
+      ``multipart-alternative`` into a ``multipart/alternative``, moving the
+      existing content into the (new) first part of the ``multipart``. Headers
+      starting from :mailheader:`Content-Type` to the end of the header list
+      are moved to the new sub-part, any earlier headers are left in the base
+      part.  Optional *boundary* is the boundary string for the newly created
+      multipart.  When ``None`` (the default), the boundary is calculated when
+      needed (for example, when the message is serialized).
+
+
+   .. method:: add_related(*args, content_manager=None, **kw)
+
+      If the message is a ``multipart/related``, create a new message
+      object, pass all of the arguments to its :meth:`set_content` method,
+      and :meth:`~email.message.Message.attach` it to the ``multipart``.  If
+      the message is a non-``multipart``, call :meth:`make_related` and then
+      proceeds as above.  If the message is any other type of ``multipart``,
+      raise a :exc:`TypeError`. If *content_manager* is not specified, it
+      defaults to the ``content_manager`` specified by the current
+      :mod:`~email.policy`.
+
+
+   .. method:: add_alternative(*args, content_manager=None, **kw)
+
+      If the message is a ``multipart/alternative``, create a new message
+      object, pass all of the arguments to its :meth:`set_content` method, and
+      :meth:`~email.message.Message.attach` it to the ``multipart``.  If the
+      message is a non-``multipart`` or ``multipart-related``, call
+      :meth:`make_alternative` and then proceeds as above.  If the message is
+      any other type of ``multipart``, raise a :exc:`TypeError`. If
+      *content_manager* is not specified, it defaults to the
+      ``content_manager`` specified by the current :mod:`~email.policy`.
+
+
+   .. method:: add_attachment(*args, content_manager=None, **kw)
+
+      If the message is a ``multipart/mixed``, create a new message object,
+      pass all of the arguments to its :meth:`set_content` method, and
+      :meth:`~email.message.Message.attach` it to the ``multipart``.  If the
+      message is a non-``multipart``, ``multipart-related``, or
+      ``multipart/alternative``, call :meth:`make_mixed` and then proceeds as
+      above. If *content_manager* is not specified, it defaults to the
+      ``content_manager`` specified by the current :mod:`~email.policy`.
+
+
+.. class:: ContentManager()
+
+   Base class for content managers.  Provides the standard registry mechanisms that
+   map MIME content types to other representations, as well as the ``get_content``
+   and ``set_content`` dispatch methods.
+
+
+   .. method get_content(msg, *args, **kw)
+
+      Look up a handler function based on the ``mimetype`` of *msg*, call it,
+      passing through all arguments, and return the result of the call.  The
+      expectation is that the handler will extract the payload from *msg* and
+      return an object that encodes information about the extracted data.
+      If the full ``mimetype`` of the message is found in the registry,
+      call the associated handler.  If not, but a handler is registered
+      for just the ``maintype``, call that handler.  If there is no handler
+      for the ``maintype``, but there is a handler registered for the
+      empty string, call that handler.  If there are no handlers for any
+      of these keys, raise a :exc:`KeyError` for the full ``mimetype``.
+
+
+   .. method set_content(msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+
+      Look up a handler function based on the type of *obj* and call it,
+      passing through all arguments.  The expectation is that the handler will
+      transform and store *obj* into *msg*, possibly making other changes to
+      *msg* as well, such as adding various MIME headers to encode information
+      needed to interpret the stored data.  First use the object's type
+      (``type(obj)``) as a key to look for a handler in the registry, and call
+      it if found.  If not, use the type's fully qualified name
+      (``type(obj).__module__ + '.' + type(obj).__qualname__``).  If no handler
+      is found for that key, use the type's qualname
+      (``type(obj).__qualname__``).  If no handler is found, use the type's
+      name (``type(obj).__name__``).  If no handler is found, repeat these four
+      checks for each remaining type in the type's ``__mro__``.  Finally, if no
+      other handler is found, but a hander exists under the key ``None``, call
+      that handler.  Otherwise raise a :exc:``KeyError`` for the fully
+      qualified name of the type.
+
+
+   .. method add_get_handler(key, handler)
+
+      Record the function *handler* as the handler for *key*.  For the possible
+      values of *key*, see :meth:`get_content`.
+
+
+   .. method add_set_handler(typekey, handler)
+
+      Record *handler* as the function to call when an object of a type
+      matching *typekey* is passed to :meth:`set_content`.  For the possible
+      values of *typekey*, see :meth:`set_content`.
+
+
+Content Manager Instances
+-------------------------
+
+
+.. data:: raw_data_manager
+
+   This content manager provides only a minimum interface beyond that provided
+   by :class:`~email.message.Message` itself:  it deals only with text, raw
+   byte strings, and :class:`~email.message.Message` objects.  Nevertheless, it
+   provides significant advantages compared to the base API: ``get_content`` on
+   a text part will return a unicode string without the application needing to
+   manually decode it, ``set_content`` provides a rich set of options for
+   controlling the headers added to a part and controlling the content transfer
+   encoding, and it enables the use of the various ``add_`` methods, thereby
+   simplifying the creation of multipart messages.
+
+   .. method:: get_content(msg, errors='replace')
+
+      Return the payload of the part as either a string (for ``text`` parts), a
+      :class:`~email.message.MIMEMessage` object (for ``message/rfc822``
+      parts), or a ``bytes`` object (for all other non-multipart types).  Raise
+      a :exc:`KeyError` if called on a ``multipart``.  If the part is a
+      ``text`` part and *errors* is specified, use it as the error handler when
+      decoding the payload to unicode.  The default error handler is
+      ``replace``.
+
+   .. method:: set_content(msg, <'str'>, subtype="plain", charset='utf-8'
+                           cte=None,
+                           disposition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                           params=None, headers=None)
+               set_content(msg, <'bytes'>, maintype, subtype, cte="base64",
+                           dispoosition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                           params=None, headers=None)
+               set_content(msg, <'Message'>, cte=None,
+                           dispoosition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                           params=None, headers=None)
+               set_content(msg, <'list'>, subtype='mixed',
+                           dispoosition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                           params=None, headers=None)
+
+       Add headers and payload to *msg*:
+
+       If the *msg* object doesn not have a :mailheader:`MIME-Version`
+       header, add one.
+
+       Add a :mailheader:`Content-Type` header with a ``maintype/subtype``
+       value.  For strings, set the MIME ``maintype`` to text, and set the
+       subtype to *subtype* if it is specified, or ``plain`` if it is not.  For
+       :class:`~email.message.Message` objects, set the maintype to
+       ``message``, and set the subtype to *subtype* if it is specified or
+       ``rfc822`` if it is not.  If *subtype* is ``partial``, raise an error
+       (use ``bytes`` objects to construct ``message/partial`` parts).  For
+       ``bytes``, use the specified *maintype* and *subtype*, or raise a
+       :exc:`TypeError` if they are not specified.  For *<'list'>*, which
+       should be a list of :class:`~email.message.Message` objects, set the
+       ``maintype`` to ``multipart``, and the ``subtype`` to *subtype* if it is
+       specified, and ``mixed`` if it is not.  If the message parts in the
+       *<'list'>* have :mailheader:`MIME-Version` headers, remove them.
+
+       If *charset* is provided (which is valid only for ``str``), encode the
+       string to bytes using the specified character set.  The default is
+       ``utf-8``.  If the specified *charset* is a known alias for a standard
+       MIME charset name, use the standard charset instead.
+
+       If *cte* is set, encode the payload using the specified content transfer
+       encoding, and set the :mailheader:`Content-Transfer-Endcoding` header to
+       that value.  For ``str`` objects, if it is not set use heuristics to
+       determine the most compact encoding.  Possible values for *cte* are
+       ``quoted-printable``, ``base64``, ``7bit``, ``8bit``, and ``binary``.
+       If the input cannot be encoded in the specified encoding (eg: ``7bit``),
+       raise a :exc:`ValueError`.  For :class:`~email.message.Message`, per
+       :rfc:2046, raise an error if a *cte* of ``quoted-printable`` or
+       ``base64`` is requested for *subtype* ``rfc822``, and for any *cte*
+       other than ``7bit`` for *subtype* ``external-body``.  For
+       ``message/rfc822``, use ``8bit`` if *cte* is not specified.  For all
+       other values of *subtype*, use ``7bit``.
+
+       .. note:: A *cte* of ``binary`` does not actually work correctly yet.
+          The ``Message`` object as modified by ``set_content`` is correct, but
+          :class:`~email.generator.BytesGenerator` does not serialize it
+          correctly.
+
+       If *disposition* is set, use it as the value of the
+       :mailheader:`Content-Disposition` header.  If not specified, and
+       *filename* is specified, add the header with the value ``attachment``.
+       If it is not specified and *filename* is also not specified, do not add
+       the header.  The only valie values for *disposition* are ``attachment``
+       and ``inline``.
+
+       If *filename* is specified, use it as the value of the ``filename``
+       parameter of the :mailheader:`Content-Disposition` header.  There is no
+       default.
+
+       If *cid* is specified, add a :mailheader:`Content-ID` header with
+       *cid* as its value.
+
+       If *params* is specified, iterate its ``items`` method and use the
+       resulting ``(key, value)`` pairs to set additional paramters on the
+       :mailheader:`Content-Type` header.
+
+       If *headers* is specified and is a list of strings of the form
+       ``headername: headervalue`` or a list of ``header`` objects
+       (distinguised from strings by having a ``name`` attribute), add the
+       headers to *msg*.
diff --git a/Doc/library/email.message.rst b/Doc/library/email.message.rst
--- a/Doc/library/email.message.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/email.message.rst
@@ -465,7 +465,8 @@
       to ``False``.
 
 
-   .. method:: set_param(param, value, header='Content-Type', requote=True, charset=None, language='')
+   .. method:: set_param(param, value, header='Content-Type', requote=True,
+                         charset=None, language='', replace=False)
 
       Set a parameter in the :mailheader:`Content-Type` header.  If the
       parameter already exists in the header, its value will be replaced with
@@ -482,6 +483,10 @@
       language, defaulting to the empty string.  Both *charset* and *language*
       should be strings.
 
+      If *replace* is ``False`` (the default) the header is moved to the
+      end of the list of headers.  If *replace* is ``True``, the header
+      will be updated in place.
+
 
    .. method:: del_param(param, header='content-type', requote=True)
 
diff --git a/Doc/library/email.policy.rst b/Doc/library/email.policy.rst
--- a/Doc/library/email.policy.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/email.policy.rst
@@ -408,6 +408,18 @@
       fields are treated as unstructured.  This list will be completed before
       the extension is marked stable.)
 
+   .. attribute:: content_manager
+
+      An object with at least two methods: get_content and set_content.  When
+      the :meth:`~email.message.Message.get_content` or
+      :meth:`~email.message.Message.set_content` method of a
+      :class:`~email.message.Message` object is called, it calls the
+      corresponding method of this object, passing it the message object as its
+      first argument, and any arguments or keywords that were passed to it as
+      additional arguments.  By default ``content_manager`` is set to an
+      instance of the :class:`~email.contentmanager.ObjectManager`` class.
+
+
    The class provides the following concrete implementations of the abstract
    methods of :class:`Policy`:
 
diff --git a/Lib/email/contentmanager.py b/Lib/email/contentmanager.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/email/contentmanager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,245 @@
+import binascii
+import email.charset
+import email.message
+import email.errors
+from email import quoprimime
+
+class ContentManager:
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.get_handlers = {}
+        self.set_handlers = {}
+
+    def add_get_handler(self, key, handler):
+        self.get_handlers[key] = handler
+
+    def get_content(self, msg, *args, **kw):
+        content_type = msg.get_content_type()
+        if content_type in self.get_handlers:
+            return self.get_handlers[content_type](msg, *args, **kw)
+        maintype = msg.get_content_maintype()
+        if maintype in self.get_handlers:
+            return self.get_handlers[maintype](msg, *args, **kw)
+        if '' in self.get_handlers:
+            return self.get_handlers[''](msg, *args, **kw)
+        raise KeyError(content_type)
+
+    def add_set_handler(self, typekey, handler):
+        self.set_handlers[typekey] = handler
+
+    def set_content(self, msg, obj, *args, **kw):
+        full_path_for_error = None
+        for typ in type(obj).__mro__:
+            if typ in self.set_handlers:
+                return self.set_handlers[typ](msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+            qname = typ.__qualname__
+            modname = getattr(typ, '__module__', '')
+            full_path = '.'.join((modname, qname)) if modname else qname
+            if full_path_for_error is None:
+                full_path_for_error = full_path
+            if full_path in self.set_handlers:
+                return self.set_handlers[full_path](msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+            if qname in self.set_handlers:
+                return self.set_handlers[qname](msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+            name = typ.__name__
+            if name in self.set_handlers:
+                return self.set_handlers[name](msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+        if None in self.set_handlers:
+            return self.set_handlers[None](msg, obj, *args, **kw)
+        raise KeyError(full_path_for_error)
+
+
+raw_data_manager = ContentManager()
+
+
+def get_text_content(msg, errors='replace'):
+    content = msg.get_payload(decode=True)
+    charset = msg.get_param('charset', 'ASCII')
+    return content.decode(charset, errors=errors)
+raw_data_manager.add_get_handler('text', get_text_content)
+
+
+def get_non_text_content(msg):
+    return msg.get_payload(decode=True)
+for maintype in 'audio image video application'.split():
+    raw_data_manager.add_get_handler(maintype, get_non_text_content)
+
+
+def get_message_content(msg):
+    return msg.get_payload(0)
+for subtype in 'rfc822 external-body'.split():
+    raw_data_manager.add_get_handler('message/'+subtype, get_message_content)
+
+
+def get_and_fixup_unknown_message_content(msg):
+    # If we don't understand a message subtype, we are supposed to treat it as
+    # if it were application/octet-stream, per
+    # tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2046#section-5.2.4.  Feedparser doesn't do that,
+    # so do our best to fix things up.  Note that it is *not* appropriate to
+    # model message/partial content as Message objects, so they are handled
+    # here as well.  (How to reassemble them is out of scope for this comment :)
+    return bytes(msg.get_payload(0))
+raw_data_manager.add_get_handler('message',
+                                 get_and_fixup_unknown_message_content)
+
+
+def _prepare_set(msg, maintype, subtype, headers):
+    if 'mime-version' not in msg:
+        msg['MIME-Version'] = '1.0'
+    msg['Content-Type'] = '/'.join((maintype, subtype))
+    if headers:
+        if not hasattr(headers[0], 'name'):
+            mp = msg.policy
+            headers = [mp.header_factory(*mp.header_source_parse([header]))
+                       for header in headers]
+        try:
+            for header in headers:
+                if header.defects:
+                    raise header.defects[0]
+                msg[header.name] = header
+        except email.errors.HeaderDefect as exc:
+            raise ValueError("Invalid header: {}".format(
+                                header.fold(policy=msg.policy))) from exc
+
+
+def _finalize_set(msg, disposition, filename, cid, params, headers):
+    if disposition is None and filename is not None:
+        disposition = 'attachment'
+    if disposition is not None:
+        msg['Content-Disposition'] = disposition
+    if filename is not None:
+        msg.set_param('filename',
+                      filename,
+                      header='Content-Disposition',
+                      replace=True)
+    if cid is not None:
+        msg['Content-ID'] = cid
+    if params is not None:
+        for key, value in params.items():
+            msg.set_param(key, value)
+
+
+# XXX: This is a cleaned-up version of base64mime.body_encode.  It would
+# be nice to drop both this and quoprimime.body_encode in favor of
+# enhanced binascii routines that accepted a max_line_length parameter.
+def _encode_base64(data, max_line_length):
+        encoded_lines = []
+        unencoded_bytes_per_line = max_line_length * 3 // 4
+        for i in range(0, len(data), unencoded_bytes_per_line):
+            thisline = data[i:i+unencoded_bytes_per_line]
+            encoded_lines.append(binascii.b2a_base64(thisline).decode('ascii'))
+        return ''.join(encoded_lines)
+
+
+def _encode_text(string, charset, cte, policy):
+    lines = string.encode(charset).splitlines()
+    linesep = policy.linesep.encode('ascii')
+    def embeded_body(lines): return linesep.join(lines) + linesep
+    def normal_body(lines): return b'\n'.join(lines) + b'\n'
+    if cte==None:
+        # Use heuristics to decide on the "best" encoding.
+        try:
+            return '7bit', normal_body(lines).decode('ascii')
+        except UnicodeDecodeError:
+            pass
+        if (policy.cte_type == '8bit' and
+                max((len(x) for x in lines)) <= policy.max_line_length):
+            return '8bit', normal_body(lines).decode('ascii', 'surrogateescape')
+        sniff = embeded_body(lines[:10])
+        sniff_qp = quoprimime.body_encode(sniff.decode('latin-1'),
+                                          policy.max_line_length)
+        sniff_base64 = binascii.b2a_base64(sniff)
+        # This is a little unfair to qp; it includes lineseps and base64 doesn't.
+        if len(sniff_qp) > len(sniff_base64):
+            cte = 'base64'
+        else:
+            cte = 'quoted-printable'
+            if len(lines) <= 10:
+                return cte, sniff_qp
+    if cte == '7bit':
+        data = normal_body(lines).decode('ascii')
+    elif cte == '8bit':
+        data = normal_body(lines).decode('ascii', 'surrogateescape')
+    elif cte == 'quoted-printable':
+        data = quoprimime.body_encode(normal_body(lines).decode('latin-1'),
+                                      policy.max_line_length)
+    elif cte == 'base64':
+        data = _encode_base64(embeded_body(lines), policy.max_line_length)
+    else:
+        raise ValueError("Unknown content transfer encoding {}".format(cte))
+    return cte, data
+
+
+def set_text_content(msg, string, subtype="plain", charset='utf-8', cte=None,
+                     disposition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                     params=None, headers=None):
+    _prepare_set(msg, 'text', subtype, headers)
+    cte, payload = _encode_text(string, charset, cte, msg.policy)
+    msg.set_payload(payload)
+    msg.set_param('charset',
+                  email.charset.ALIASES.get(charset, charset),
+                  replace=True)
+    msg['Content-Transfer-Encoding'] = cte
+    _finalize_set(msg, disposition, filename, cid, params, headers)
+raw_data_manager.add_set_handler(str, set_text_content)
+
+
+def set_message_content(msg, message, subtype="rfc822", cte=None,
+                       disposition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                       params=None, headers=None):
+    if subtype == 'partial':
+        raise ValueError("message/partial is not supported for Message objects")
+    if subtype == 'rfc822':
+        if cte not in (None, '7bit', '8bit', 'binary'):
+            # http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2046#section-5.2.1 mandate.
+            raise ValueError(
+                "message/rfc822 parts do not support cte={}".format(cte))
+        # 8bit will get coerced on serialization if policy.cte_type='7bit'.  We
+        # may end up claiming 8bit when it isn't needed, but the only negative
+        # result of that should be a gateway that needs to coerce to 7bit
+        # having to look through the whole embedded message to discover whether
+        # or not it actually has to do anything.
+        cte = '8bit' if cte is None else cte
+    elif subtype == 'external-body':
+        if cte not in (None, '7bit'):
+            # http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2046#section-5.2.3 mandate.
+            raise ValueError(
+                "message/external-body parts do not support cte={}".format(cte))
+        cte = '7bit'
+    elif cte is None:
+        # http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2046#section-5.2.4 says all future
+        # subtypes should be restricted to 7bit, so assume that.
+        cte = '7bit'
+    _prepare_set(msg, 'message', subtype, headers)
+    msg.set_payload([message])
+    msg['Content-Transfer-Encoding'] = cte
+    _finalize_set(msg, disposition, filename, cid, params, headers)
+raw_data_manager.add_set_handler(email.message.Message, set_message_content)
+
+
+def set_bytes_content(msg, data, maintype, subtype, cte='base64',
+                     disposition=None, filename=None, cid=None,
+                     params=None, headers=None):
+    _prepare_set(msg, maintype, subtype, headers)
+    if cte == 'base64':
+        data = _encode_base64(data, max_line_length=msg.policy.max_line_length)
+    elif cte == 'quoted-printable':
+        # XXX: quoprimime.body_encode won't encode newline characters in data,
+        # so we can't use it.  This means max_line_length is ignored.  Another
+        # bug to fix later.  (Note: encoders.quopri is broken on line ends.
+        data = binascii.b2a_qp(data, istext=False, header=False, quotetabs=True)
+        data = data.decode('ascii')
+    elif cte == '7bit':
+        # Make sure it really is only ASCII.  The early warning here seems
+        # worth the overhead...if you care write your own content manager :).
+        data.encode('ascii')
+    elif cte in ('8bit', 'binary'):
+        data = data.decode('ascii', 'surrogateescape')
+    msg.set_payload(data)
+    msg['Content-Transfer-Encoding'] = cte
+    _finalize_set(msg, disposition, filename, cid, params, headers)
+for typ in (bytes, bytearray, memoryview):
+    raw_data_manager.add_set_handler(typ, set_bytes_content)
+
+
+object_manager = ContentManager()
diff --git a/Lib/email/message.py b/Lib/email/message.py
--- a/Lib/email/message.py
+++ b/Lib/email/message.py
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
 
 import re
 import uu
-import base64
-import binascii
 from io import BytesIO, StringIO
 
 # Intrapackage imports
@@ -679,7 +677,7 @@
         return failobj
 
     def set_param(self, param, value, header='Content-Type', requote=True,
-                  charset=None, language=''):
+                  charset=None, language='', replace=False):
         """Set a parameter in the Content-Type header.
 
         If the parameter already exists in the header, its value will be
@@ -723,8 +721,11 @@
                 else:
                     ctype = SEMISPACE.join([ctype, append_param])
         if ctype != self.get(header):
-            del self[header]
-            self[header] = ctype
+            if replace:
+                self.replace_header(header, ctype)
+            else:
+                del self[header]
+                self[header] = ctype
 
     def del_param(self, param, header='content-type', requote=True):
         """Remove the given parameter completely from the Content-Type header.
@@ -905,3 +906,117 @@
 
     # I.e. def walk(self): ...
     from email.iterators import walk
+
+
+class MIMEMessage(Message):
+
+    def __init__(self, policy=None):
+        if policy is None:
+            from email.policy import default
+            policy = default
+        Message.__init__(self, policy)
+
+    def get_body(self, preferencelist=('related', 'html', 'plain')):
+        found = [None] * len(preferencelist)
+        skip_next = False
+        for part in self.walk():
+            maintype, subtype = part.get_content_type().split('/')
+            if (skip_next or subtype not in preferencelist or
+                    not (maintype == 'text' and
+                         subtype in ('html', 'plain')) and
+                    not (maintype == 'multipart' and subtype == 'related') or
+                    part.get('content-disposition') not in (None, 'inline')):
+                skip_next = False
+                if maintype == 'message':
+                    # Walk returns the message in the message part as if the
+                    # message part were a multipart, even though it isn't.
+                    skip_next = True
+                continue
+            priority = preferencelist.index(subtype)
+            if priority == 0:
+                # Short circuit, don't need to check the rest.
+                return part
+            found[priority] = part
+        # If #18652 is added, use this instead:
+        #return first_true(found, pred=lambda x: x is not None)
+        return next(filter(lambda x: x is not None, found), None)
+
+    def iter_attachments(self):
+        seen = []
+        maintype, subtype = self.get_content_type().split('/')
+        if maintype != 'multipart' or subtype == 'alternative':
+            return
+        for part in self.get_payload():
+            maintype, subtype = part.get_content_type().split('/')
+            if ((maintype == 'text' and subtype in ('html', 'plain') or
+                        maintype == 'multipart' and
+                        subtype in ('related', 'alternative')) and
+                    part.get('content-disposition') in (None, 'inline') and
+                    subtype not in seen):
+                seen.append(subtype)
+                continue
+            yield part
+
+    def iter_parts(self):
+        if self.get_content_maintype() == 'multipart':
+            yield from self.get_payload()
+
+    def get_content(self, *args, content_manager=None, **kw):
+        if content_manager is None:
+            content_manager = self.policy.content_manager
+        return content_manager.get_content(self, *args, **kw)
+
+    def set_content(self, *args, content_manager=None, **kw):
+        if content_manager is None:
+            content_manager = self.policy.content_manager
+        content_manager.set_content(self, *args, **kw)
+
+    def _make_multipart(self, subtype, disallowed_subtypes, boundary):
+        if self.get_content_maintype() == 'multipart':
+            existing_subtype = self.get_content_subtype()
+            disallowed_subtypes = disallowed_subtypes + (subtype,)
+            if existing_subtype in disallowed_subtypes:
+                raise ValueError("Cannot convert {} to {}".format(
+                    existing_subtype, subtype))
+        part = type(self)(policy=self.policy)
+        headers = iter(self.items())
+        for i, (name, value) in enumerate(headers):
+            if name.lower() == 'content-type':
+                part[name] = value
+                break
+        else:
+            i = -1
+        for name, value in headers:
+            part[name] = value
+        self._headers[i:] = []
+        part._payload = self._payload
+        self._payload = [part]
+        self['Content-Type'] = 'multipart/' + subtype
+        if boundary is not None:
+            self.set_param('boundary', boundary)
+
+    def make_related(self, boundary=None):
+        self._make_multipart('related', ('alternative', 'mixed'), boundary)
+
+    def make_alternative(self, boundary=None):
+        self._make_multipart('alternative', ('mixed',), boundary)
+
+    def make_mixed(self, boundary=None):
+        self._make_multipart('mixed', (), boundary)
+
+    def _add_multipart(self, subtype, *args, **kw):
+        if (self.get_content_maintype() != 'multipart' or
+                self.get_content_subtype() != subtype):
+            getattr(self, 'make_' + subtype)()
+        part = type(self)(policy=self.policy)
+        part.set_content(*args, **kw)
+        self.attach(part)
+
+    def add_related(self, *args, **kw):
+        self._add_multipart('related', *args, **kw)
+
+    def add_alternative(self, *args, **kw):
+        self._add_multipart('alternative', *args, **kw)
+
+    def add_attachment(self, *args, **kw):
+        self._add_multipart('mixed', *args, **kw)
diff --git a/Lib/email/policy.py b/Lib/email/policy.py
--- a/Lib/email/policy.py
+++ b/Lib/email/policy.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from email._policybase import Policy, Compat32, compat32, _extend_docstrings
 from email.utils import _has_surrogates
 from email.headerregistry import HeaderRegistry as HeaderRegistry
+from email.contentmanager import raw_data_manager
 
 __all__ = [
     'Compat32',
@@ -58,10 +59,22 @@
                            special treatment, while all other fields are
                            treated as unstructured.  This list will be
                            completed before the extension is marked stable.)
+
+    content_manager     -- an object with at least two methods: get_content
+                           and set_content.  When the get_content or
+                           set_content method of a Message object is called,
+                           it calls the corresponding method of this object,
+                           passing it the message object as its first argument,
+                           and any arguments or keywords that were passed to
+                           it as additional arguments.  The default
+                           content_manager is
+                           :data:`~email.contentmanager.raw_data_manager`.
+
     """
 
     refold_source = 'long'
     header_factory = HeaderRegistry()
+    content_manager = raw_data_manager
 
     def __init__(self, **kw):
         # Ensure that each new instance gets a unique header factory
diff --git a/Lib/email/utils.py b/Lib/email/utils.py
--- a/Lib/email/utils.py
+++ b/Lib/email/utils.py
@@ -68,9 +68,13 @@
 # How to deal with a string containing bytes before handing it to the
 # application through the 'normal' interface.
 def _sanitize(string):
-    # Turn any escaped bytes into unicode 'unknown' char.
-    original_bytes = string.encode('ascii', 'surrogateescape')
-    return original_bytes.decode('ascii', 'replace')
+    # Turn any escaped bytes into unicode 'unknown' char.  If the escaped
+    # bytes happen to be utf-8 they will instead get decoded, even if they
+    # were invalid in the charset the source was supposed to be in.  This
+    # seems like it is not a bad thing; a defect was still registered.
+    original_bytes = string.encode('utf-8', 'surrogateescape')
+    return original_bytes.decode('utf-8', 'replace')
+
 
 
 # Helpers
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/__init__.py b/Lib/test/test_email/__init__.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/__init__.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import sys
 import unittest
 import test.support
+import collections
 import email
 from email.message import Message
 from email._policybase import compat32
@@ -42,6 +43,8 @@
     # here we make minimal changes in the test_email tests compared to their
     # pre-3.3 state.
     policy = compat32
+    # Likewise, the default message object is Message.
+    message = Message
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kw):
         super().__init__(*args, **kw)
@@ -54,11 +57,23 @@
         with openfile(filename) as fp:
             return email.message_from_file(fp, policy=self.policy)
 
-    def _str_msg(self, string, message=Message, policy=None):
+    def _str_msg(self, string, message=None, policy=None):
         if policy is None:
             policy = self.policy
+        if message is None:
+            message = self.message
         return email.message_from_string(string, message, policy=policy)
 
+    def _bytes_msg(self, bytestring, message=None, policy=None):
+        if policy is None:
+            policy = self.policy
+        if message is None:
+            message = self.message
+        return email.message_from_bytes(bytestring, message, policy=policy)
+
+    def _make_message(self):
+        return self.message(policy=self.policy)
+
     def _bytes_repr(self, b):
         return [repr(x) for x in b.splitlines(keepends=True)]
 
@@ -123,6 +138,7 @@
 
     """
     paramdicts = {}
+    testers = collections.defaultdict(list)
     for name, attr in cls.__dict__.items():
         if name.endswith('_params'):
             if not hasattr(attr, 'keys'):
@@ -134,9 +150,17 @@
                     d[n] = x
                 attr = d
             paramdicts[name[:-7] + '_as_'] = attr
+        if '_as_' in name:
+            testers[name.split('_as_')[0] + '_as_'].append(name)
     testfuncs = {}
+    for name in paramdicts:
+        if name not in testers:
+            raise ValueError("No tester found for {}".format(name))
+    for name in testers:
+        if name not in paramdicts:
+            raise ValueError("No params found for {}".format(name))
     for name, attr in cls.__dict__.items():
-        for paramsname, paramsdict in paramdicts.items():
+        for paramsname, paramsdict in list(paramdicts.items()):
             if name.startswith(paramsname):
                 testnameroot = 'test_' + name[len(paramsname):]
                 for paramname, params in paramsdict.items():
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/test_contentmanager.py b/Lib/test/test_email/test_contentmanager.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_contentmanager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,782 @@
+import unittest
+from test.test_email import TestEmailBase, parameterize
+import textwrap
+from email import policy
+from email.message import MIMEMessage
+from email.contentmanager import ContentManager, raw_data_manager
+
+
+@parameterize
+class TestContentManager(TestEmailBase):
+
+    policy = policy.default
+    message = MIMEMessage
+
+    get_key_params = {
+        'full_type':        (1, 'text/plain',),
+        'maintype_only':    (2, 'text',),
+        'null_key':         (3, '',),
+        }
+
+    def get_key_as_get_content_key(self, order, key):
+        def foo_getter(msg, foo=None):
+            bar = msg['X-Bar-Header']
+            return foo, bar
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        cm.add_get_handler(key, foo_getter)
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m['Content-Type'] = 'text/plain'
+        m['X-Bar-Header'] = 'foo'
+        self.assertEqual(cm.get_content(m, foo='bar'), ('bar', 'foo'))
+
+    def get_key_as_get_content_key_order(self, order, key):
+        def bar_getter(msg):
+            return msg['X-Bar-Header']
+        def foo_getter(msg):
+            return msg['X-Foo-Header']
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        cm.add_get_handler(key, foo_getter)
+        for precedence, key in self.get_key_params.values():
+            if precedence > order:
+                cm.add_get_handler(key, bar_getter)
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m['Content-Type'] = 'text/plain'
+        m['X-Bar-Header'] = 'bar'
+        m['X-Foo-Header'] = 'foo'
+        self.assertEqual(cm.get_content(m), ('foo'))
+
+    def test_get_content_raises_if_unknown_mimetype_and_no_default(self):
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m['Content-Type'] = 'text/plain'
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(KeyError, 'text/plain'):
+            cm.get_content(m)
+
+    class BaseThing(str):
+        pass
+    baseobject_full_path = __name__ + '.' + 'TestContentManager.BaseThing'
+    class Thing(BaseThing):
+        pass
+    testobject_full_path = __name__ + '.' + 'TestContentManager.Thing'
+
+    set_key_params = {
+        'type':             (0,  Thing,),
+        'full_path':        (1,  testobject_full_path,),
+        'qualname':         (2,  'TestContentManager.Thing',),
+        'name':             (3,  'Thing',),
+        'base_type':        (4,  BaseThing,),
+        'base_full_path':   (5,  baseobject_full_path,),
+        'base_qualname':    (6,  'TestContentManager.BaseThing',),
+        'base_name':        (7,  'BaseThing',),
+        'str_type':         (8,  str,),
+        'str_full_path':    (9,  'builtins.str',),
+        'str_name':         (10, 'str',),   # str name and qualname are the same
+        'null_key':         (11, None,),
+        }
+
+    def set_key_as_set_content_key(self, order, key):
+        def foo_setter(msg, obj, foo=None):
+            msg['X-Foo-Header'] = foo
+            msg.set_payload(obj)
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        cm.add_set_handler(key, foo_setter)
+        m = self._make_message()
+        msg_obj = self.Thing()
+        cm.set_content(m, msg_obj, foo='bar')
+        self.assertEqual(m['X-Foo-Header'], 'bar')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(), msg_obj)
+
+    def set_key_as_set_content_key_order(self, order, key):
+        def foo_setter(msg, obj):
+            msg['X-FooBar-Header'] = 'foo'
+            msg.set_payload(obj)
+        def bar_setter(msg, obj):
+            msg['X-FooBar-Header'] = 'bar'
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        cm.add_set_handler(key, foo_setter)
+        for precedence, key in self.get_key_params.values():
+            if precedence > order:
+                cm.add_set_handler(key, bar_setter)
+        m = self._make_message()
+        msg_obj = self.Thing()
+        cm.set_content(m, msg_obj)
+        self.assertEqual(m['X-FooBar-Header'], 'foo')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(), msg_obj)
+
+    def test_set_content_raises_if_unknown_type_and_no_default(self):
+        cm = ContentManager()
+        m = self._make_message()
+        msg_obj = self.Thing()
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(KeyError, self.testobject_full_path):
+            cm.set_content(m, msg_obj)
+
+
+@parameterize
+class TestRawDataManager(TestEmailBase):
+
+    policy = policy.default.clone(max_line_length=60,
+                                  content_manager=raw_data_manager)
+    message = MIMEMessage
+
+    def test_get_text_plain(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain
+
+            Basic text.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "Basic text.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_html(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/html
+
+            <p>Basic text.</p>
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "<p>Basic text.</p>\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_latin1(self):
+        m = self._bytes_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset=latin1
+
+            Basìc tëxt.
+            """).encode('latin1'))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "Basìc tëxt.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_latin1_quoted_printable(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="latin-1"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+
+            Bas=ECc t=EBxt.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "Basìc tëxt.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_utf8_base64(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            QmFzw6xjIHTDq3h0Lgo=
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "Basìc tëxt.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_bad_utf8_quoted_printable(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+
+            Bas=c3=acc t=c3=abxt=fd.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), "Basìc tëxt�.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_bad_utf8_quoted_printable_ignore_errors(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+
+            Bas=c3=acc t=c3=abxt=fd.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m, errors='ignore'),
+                         "Basìc tëxt.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_plain_utf8_base64_recoverable_bad_CTE_data(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            QmFzw6xjIHTDq3h0Lgo\xFF=
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m, errors='ignore'),
+                         "Basìc tëxt.\n")
+
+    def test_get_text_invalid_keyword(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: text/plain
+
+            Basic text.
+            """))
+        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
+            raw_data_manager.get_content(m, foo='ignore')
+
+    def test_get_non_text(self):
+        template = textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: {}
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            Ym9ndXMgZGF0YQ==
+            """)
+        for maintype in 'audio image video application'.split():
+            with self.subTest(maintype=maintype):
+                m = self._str_msg(template.format(maintype+'/foo'))
+                self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m), b"bogus data")
+
+    def test_get_non_text_invalid_keyword(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: image/jpg
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            Ym9ndXMgZGF0YQ==
+            """))
+        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
+            raw_data_manager.get_content(m, errors='ignore')
+
+    def test_get_raises_on_multipart(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+            --===
+            --===--
+            """))
+        with self.assertRaises(KeyError):
+            raw_data_manager.get_content(m)
+
+    def test_get_message_rfc822_and_external_body(self):
+        template = textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: message/{}
+
+            To: foo@example.com
+            From: bar@example.com
+            Subject: example
+
+            an example message
+            """)
+        for subtype in 'rfc822 external-body'.split():
+            with self.subTest(subtype=subtype):
+                m = self._str_msg(template.format(subtype))
+                sub_msg = raw_data_manager.get_content(m)
+                self.assertIsInstance(sub_msg, self.message)
+                self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(sub_msg),
+                                 "an example message\n")
+                self.assertEqual(sub_msg['to'], 'foo@example.com')
+                self.assertEqual(sub_msg['from'].addresses[0].username, 'bar')
+
+    def test_get_message_non_rfc822_or_external_body_yields_bytes(self):
+        m = self._str_msg(textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Content-Type: message/partial
+
+            To: foo@example.com
+            From: bar@example.com
+            Subject: example
+
+            The real body is in another message.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(raw_data_manager.get_content(m)[:10], b'To: foo@ex')
+
+    def test_set_text_plain(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            Simple message.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_html(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "<p>Simple message.</p>\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, subtype='html')
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            <p>Simple message.</p>
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_charset_latin_1(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, charset='latin-1')
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            Simple message.
+            """))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_short_line_minimal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "et la il est monté sur moi et il commence a m'étouffer.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            et la il est monté sur moi et il commence a m'étouffer.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_long_line_minimal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = ("j'ai un problème de python. il est sorti de son"
+                   " vivarium.  et la il est monté sur moi et il commence"
+                   " a m'étouffer.\n")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+
+            j'ai un probl=C3=A8me de python. il est sorti de son vivari=
+            um.  et la il est mont=C3=A9 sur moi et il commence a m'=C3=
+            =A9touffer.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_11_lines_long_line_minimal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = '\n'*10 + (
+                  "j'ai un problème de python. il est sorti de son"
+                  " vivarium.  et la il est monté sur moi et il commence"
+                  " a m'étouffer.\n")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+            """ + '\n'*10 + """
+            j'ai un probl=C3=A8me de python. il est sorti de son vivari=
+            um.  et la il est mont=C3=A9 sur moi et il commence a m'=C3=
+            =A9touffer.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_maximal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "áàäéèęöő.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            áàäéèęöő.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_11_lines_maximal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = '\n'*10 + "áàäéèęöő.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+            """ + '\n'*10 + """
+            áàäéèęöő.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_long_line_maximal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = ("áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                   "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                   "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő.\n")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            w6HDoMOkw6nDqMSZw7bFkcOhw6DDpMOpw6jEmcO2xZHDocOgw6TDqcOoxJnD
+            tsWRw6HDoMOkw6nDqMSZw7bFkcOhw6DDpMOpw6jEmcO2xZHDocOgw6TDqcOo
+            xJnDtsWRw6HDoMOkw6nDqMSZw7bFkcOhw6DDpMOpw6jEmcO2xZHDocOgw6TD
+            qcOoxJnDtsWRw6HDoMOkw6nDqMSZw7bFkcOhw6DDpMOpw6jEmcO2xZHDocOg
+            w6TDqcOoxJnDtsWRLgo=
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_11_lines_long_line_maximal_non_ascii_heuristics(self):
+        # Yes, it chooses "wrong" here.  It's a heuristic.  So this result
+        # could change if we come up with a better heuristic.
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = ('\n'*10 +
+                   "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                   "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                   "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő.\n")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, "\n"*10 +
+                                        "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                                        "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő"
+                                        "áàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöőáàäéèęöő.\n")
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+            """ + '\n'*10 + """
+            =C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=
+            =A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=
+            =C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=
+            =A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=
+            =C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=
+            =91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=
+            =C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=
+            =A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=
+            =C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=
+            =99=C3=B6=C5=91=C3=A1=C3=A0=C3=A4=C3=A9=C3=A8=C4=99=C3=B6=
+            =C5=91.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True).decode('utf-8'), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_text_non_ascii_with_cte_7bit_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        with self.assertRaises(UnicodeError):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m,"áàäéèęöő.\n", cte='7bit')
+
+    def test_set_text_non_ascii_with_charset_ascii_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        with self.assertRaises(UnicodeError):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m,"áàäéèęöő.\n", charset='ascii')
+
+    def test_set_text_non_ascii_with_cte_7bit_and_charset_ascii_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        with self.assertRaises(UnicodeError):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m,"áàäéèęöő.\n", cte='7bit', charset='ascii')
+
+    def test_set_message(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m['Subject'] = "Forwarded message"
+        content = self._make_message()
+        content['To'] = 'python@vivarium.org'
+        content['From'] = 'police@monty.org'
+        content['Subject'] = "get back in your box"
+        content.set_content("Or face the comfy chair.")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Subject: Forwarded message
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: message/rfc822
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            To: python@vivarium.org
+            From: police@monty.org
+            Subject: get back in your box
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            Or face the comfy chair.
+            """))
+        payload = m.get_payload(0)
+        self.assertIsInstance(payload, self.message)
+        self.assertEqual(str(payload), str(content))
+        self.assertIsInstance(m.get_content(), self.message)
+        self.assertEqual(str(m.get_content()), str(content))
+
+    def test_set_message_with_non_ascii_and_coersion_to_7bit(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m['Subject'] = "Escape report"
+        content = self._make_message()
+        content['To'] = 'police@monty.org'
+        content['From'] = 'victim@monty.org'
+        content['Subject'] = "Help"
+        content.set_content("j'ai un problème de python. il est sorti de son"
+                            " vivarium.")
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content)
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Subject: Escape report
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: message/rfc822
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            To: police@monty.org
+            From: victim@monty.org
+            Subject: Help
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            j'ai un problème de python. il est sorti de son vivarium.
+            """).encode('utf-8'))
+        # The choice of base64 for the body encoding is because generator
+        # doesn't bother with heuristics and uses it unconditionally for utf-8
+        # text.
+        # XXX: the first cte should be 7bit, too...that's a generator bug.
+        # XXX: the line length in the body also looks like a generator bug.
+        self.assertEqual(m.as_string(maxheaderlen=self.policy.max_line_length),
+                         textwrap.dedent("""\
+            Subject: Escape report
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: message/rfc822
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            To: police@monty.org
+            From: victim@monty.org
+            Subject: Help
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+            aidhaSB1biBwcm9ibMOobWUgZGUgcHl0aG9uLiBpbCBlc3Qgc29ydGkgZGUgc29uIHZpdmFyaXVt
+            Lgo=
+            """))
+        self.assertIsInstance(m.get_content(), self.message)
+        self.assertEqual(str(m.get_content()), str(content))
+
+    def test_set_message_invalid_cte_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = self._make_message()
+        for cte in 'quoted-printable base64'.split():
+            for subtype in 'rfc822 external-body'.split():
+                with self.subTest(cte=cte, subtype=subtype):
+                    with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ar:
+                        m.set_content(content, subtype, cte=cte)
+                    exc = str(ar.exception)
+                    self.assertIn(cte, exc)
+                    self.assertIn(subtype, exc)
+        subtype = 'external-body'
+        for cte in '8bit binary'.split():
+            with self.subTest(cte=cte, subtype=subtype):
+                with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ar:
+                    m.set_content(content, subtype, cte=cte)
+                exc = str(ar.exception)
+                self.assertIn(cte, exc)
+                self.assertIn(subtype, exc)
+
+    def test_set_image_jpg(self):
+        for content in (b"bogus content",
+                        bytearray(b"bogus content"),
+                        memoryview(b"bogus content")):
+            with self.subTest(content=content):
+                m = self._make_message()
+                raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, 'image', 'jpeg')
+                self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+                    MIME-Version: 1.0
+                    Content-Type: image/jpeg
+                    Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
+
+                    Ym9ndXMgY29udGVudA==
+                    """))
+                self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True), content)
+                self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_audio_aif_with_quoted_printable_cte(self):
+        # Why you would use qp, I don't know, but it is technically supported.
+        # XXX: the incorrect line length is because binascii.b2a_qp doesn't
+        # support a line length parameter, but we must use it to get newline
+        # encoding.
+        # XXX: what about that lack of tailing newline?  Do we actually handle
+        # that correctly in all cases?  That is, if the *source* has an
+        # unencoded newline, do we add an extra newline to the returned payload
+        # or not?  And can that actually be disambiguated based on the RFC?
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = b'b\xFFgus\tcon\nt\rent ' + b'z'*100
+        m.set_content(content, 'audio', 'aif', cte='quoted-printable')
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: audio/aif
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
+
+            b=FFgus=09con=0At=0Dent=20zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz=
+            zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz""").encode('latin-1'))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_video_mpeg_with_binary_cte(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = b'b\xFFgus\tcon\nt\rent ' + b'z'*100
+        m.set_content(content, 'video', 'mpeg', cte='binary')
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: video/mpeg
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary
+
+            """).encode('ascii') +
+            # XXX: the second \n ought to be a \r, but generator gets it wrong.
+            # THIS MEANS WE DON'T ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE 'binary' CTE.
+            b'b\xFFgus\tcon\nt\nent zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz' +
+            b'zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_application_octet_stream_with_8bit_cte(self):
+        # In 8bit mode, univeral line end logic applies.  It is up to the
+        # application to make sure the lines are short enough; we don't check.
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = b'b\xFFgus\tcon\nt\rent\n' + b'z'*60 + b'\n'
+        m.set_content(content, 'application', 'octet-stream', cte='8bit')
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: application/octet-stream
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
+
+            """).encode('ascii') +
+            b'b\xFFgus\tcon\nt\nent\n' +
+            b'zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz\n')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(decode=True), content)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), content)
+
+    def test_set_headers_from_header_objects(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        header_factory = self.policy.header_factory
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+            header_factory("To", "foo@example.com"),
+            header_factory("From", "foo@example.com"),
+            header_factory("Subject", "I'm talking to myself.")))
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            To: foo@example.com
+            From: foo@example.com
+            Subject: I'm talking to myself.
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            Simple message.
+            """))
+
+    def test_set_headers_from_strings(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+            "X-Foo-Header: foo",
+            "X-Bar-Header: bar",))
+        self.assertEqual(str(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            X-Foo-Header: foo
+            X-Bar-Header: bar
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+
+            Simple message.
+            """))
+
+    def test_set_headers_with_invalid_duplicate_string_header_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, 'Content-Type'):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+                "Content-Type: foo/bar",)
+                )
+
+    def test_set_headers_with_invalid_duplicate_header_header_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        header_factory = self.policy.header_factory
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, 'Content-Type'):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+                header_factory("Content-Type", " foo/bar"),)
+                )
+
+    def test_set_headers_with_defective_string_header_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, 'a@fairly@@invalid@address'):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+                'To: a@fairly@@invalid@address',)
+                )
+            print(m['To'].defects)
+
+    def test_set_headers_with_defective_header_header_raises(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        content = "Simple message.\n"
+        header_factory = self.policy.header_factory
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, 'a@fairly@@invalid@address'):
+            raw_data_manager.set_content(m, content, headers=(
+                header_factory('To', 'a@fairly@@invalid@address'),)
+                )
+            print(m['To'].defects)
+
+    def test_set_disposition_inline(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', disposition='inline')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'inline')
+
+    def test_set_disposition_attachment(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', disposition='attachment')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'attachment')
+
+    def test_set_disposition_foo(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', disposition='foo')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'foo')
+
+    # XXX: we should have a 'strict' policy mode (beyond raise_on_defect) that
+    # would cause 'foo' above to raise.
+
+    def test_set_filename(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', filename='bar.txt')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'attachment; filename="bar.txt"')
+
+    def test_set_filename_and_disposition_inline(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', disposition='inline', filename='bar.txt')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'inline; filename="bar.txt"')
+
+    def test_set_non_ascii_filename(self):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content('foo', filename='ábárî.txt')
+        self.assertEqual(bytes(m), textwrap.dedent("""\
+            MIME-Version: 1.0
+            Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
+            Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+            Content-Disposition: attachment;
+             filename*=utf-8''%C3%A1b%C3%A1r%C3%AE.txt
+
+            foo
+            """).encode('ascii'))
+
+    content_object_params = {
+        'text_plain': ('content', ()),
+        'text_html': ('content', ('html',)),
+        'application_octet_stream': (b'content', ('application', 'octet_stream')),
+        'image_jpeg': (b'content', ('image', 'jpeg')),
+        'message_rfc822': (message(), ()),
+        'message_external_body': (message(), ('external-body',)),
+        }
+
+    def content_object_as_header_receiver(self, obj, mimetype):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content(obj, *mimetype, headers=(
+            'To: foo@example.com',
+            'From: bar@simple.net'))
+        self.assertEqual(m['to'], 'foo@example.com')
+        self.assertEqual(m['from'], 'bar@simple.net')
+
+    def content_object_as_disposition_inline_receiver(self, obj, mimetype):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content(obj, *mimetype, disposition='inline')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'inline')
+
+    def content_object_as_non_ascii_filename_receiver(self, obj, mimetype):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content(obj, *mimetype, disposition='inline', filename='bár.txt')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'], 'inline; filename="bár.txt"')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_filename(), "bár.txt")
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Disposition'].params['filename'], "bár.txt")
+
+    def content_object_as_cid_receiver(self, obj, mimetype):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        m.set_content(obj, *mimetype, cid='some_random_stuff')
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-ID'], 'some_random_stuff')
+
+    def content_object_as_params_receiver(self, obj, mimetype):
+        m = self._make_message()
+        params = {'foo': 'bár', 'abc': 'xyz'}
+        m.set_content(obj, *mimetype, params=params)
+        if isinstance(obj, str):
+            params['charset'] = 'utf-8'
+        self.assertEqual(m['Content-Type'].params, params)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/test_headerregistry.py b/Lib/test/test_email/test_headerregistry.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test_headerregistry.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_headerregistry.py
@@ -661,7 +661,7 @@
             'text/plain; name="ascii_is_the_default"'),
 
         'rfc2231_bad_character_in_charset_parameter_value': (
-            "text/plain; charset*=ascii''utf-8%E2%80%9D",
+            "text/plain; charset*=ascii''utf-8%F1%F2%F3",
             'text/plain',
             'text',
             'plain',
@@ -669,6 +669,18 @@
             [errors.UndecodableBytesDefect],
             'text/plain; charset="utf-8\uFFFD\uFFFD\uFFFD"'),
 
+        'rfc2231_utf_8_in_supposedly_ascii_charset_parameter_value': (
+            "text/plain; charset*=ascii''utf-8%E2%80%9D",
+            'text/plain',
+            'text',
+            'plain',
+            {'charset': 'utf-8”'},
+            [errors.UndecodableBytesDefect],
+            'text/plain; charset="utf-8”"',
+            ),
+            # XXX: if the above were *re*folded, it would get tagged as utf-8
+            # instead of ascii in the param, since it now contains non-ASCII.
+
         'rfc2231_encoded_then_unencoded_segments': (
             ('application/x-foo;'
                 '\tname*0*="us-ascii\'en-us\'My";'
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/test_message.py b/Lib/test/test_email/test_message.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test_message.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_message.py
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 import unittest
+import textwrap
 from email import policy
-from test.test_email import TestEmailBase
+from email.message import MIMEMessage
+from test.test_email import TestEmailBase, parameterize
+
+
+# Helper.
+def first(iterable):
+    return next(filter(lambda x: x is not None, iterable), None)
 
 
 class Test(TestEmailBase):
@@ -14,5 +21,537 @@
             m['To'] = 'xyz@abc'
 
 
+@parameterize
+class TestMIMEMessage(TestEmailBase):
+
+    policy = policy.default
+    message = MIMEMessage
+
+    # The first argument is a triple (related, html, plain) of indices into the
+    # list returned by 'walk' called on a Message constructed from the third.
+    # The indices indicate which part should match the corresponding part-type
+    # when passed to get_body (ie: the "first" part of that type in the
+    # message).  The second argument is a list of indices into the 'walk' list
+    # of the attachments that should be returned by a call to
+    # 'iter_attachments'.  The third argument is a list of indices into 'walk'
+    # that should be returned by a call to 'iter_parts'.  Note that the first
+    # item returned by 'walk' is the Message itself.
+
+    message_params = {
+
+        'empty_message': (
+            (None, None, 0),
+            (),
+            (),
+            ""),
+
+        'non_mime_plain': (
+            (None, None, 0),
+            (),
+            (),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+
+                simple text body
+                """)),
+
+        'mime_non_text': (
+            (None, None, None),
+            (),
+            (),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: image/jpg
+
+                bogus body.
+                """)),
+
+        'plain_html_alternative': (
+            (None, 2, 1),
+            (),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="==="
+
+                preamble
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/plain
+
+                simple body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/html
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+        'plain_html_mixed': (
+            (None, 2, 1),
+            (),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                preamble
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/plain
+
+                simple body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/html
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+        'plain_html_attachment_mixed': (
+            (None, None, 1),
+            (2,),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/plain
+
+                simple body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/html
+                Content-Disposition: attachment
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+        'html_text_attachment_mixed': (
+            (None, 2, None),
+            (1,),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/plain
+                Content-Disposition: attachment
+
+                simple body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/html
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+        'html_text_attachment_inline_mixed': (
+            (None, 2, 1),
+            (),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/plain
+                Content-Disposition: inline
+
+                simple body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/html
+                Content-Disposition: inline
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+
+        'related': (
+            (0, 1, None),
+            (2,),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-type: text/html
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: image/jpg
+                Content-ID: <image1@cid>
+
+                bogus body
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+
+        'mixed_alternative_plain_related': (
+            (3, 4, 2),
+            (6, 7),
+            (1, 6, 7),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="+++"
+
+                --+++
+                Content-Type: text/plain
+
+                simple body
+
+                --+++
+                Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="___"
+
+                --___
+                Content-Type: text/html
+
+                <p>simple body</p>
+
+                --___
+                Content-Type: image/jpg
+                Content-ID: <image1@cid>
+
+                bogus jpg body
+
+                --___--
+
+                --+++--
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: image/jpg
+                Content-Disposition: attachment
+
+                bogus jpg body
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: image/jpg
+                Content-Disposition: attachment
+
+                another bogus jpg body
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+        'message_rfc822': (
+            (None, None, None),
+            (),
+            (),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: message/rfc822
+
+                To: bar@example.com
+                From: robot@examp.com
+
+                this is a message body.
+                """)),
+
+        'mixed_text_message_rfc822': (
+            (None, None, 1),
+            (2,),
+            (1, 2),
+            textwrap.dedent("""\
+                To: foo@example.com
+                MIME-Version: 1.0
+                Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="==="
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: text/plain
+
+                Your message has bounced, ser.
+
+                --===
+                Content-Type: message/rfc822
+
+                To: bar@example.com
+                From: robot@examp.com
+
+                this is a message body.
+
+                --===--
+                """)),
+
+         }
+
+    def message_as_body_source(self, body_parts, attachments, parts, msg):
+        m = self._str_msg(msg)
+        allparts = list(m.walk())
+        expected = [None if n is None else allparts[n] for n in body_parts]
+        related = 0; html = 1; plain = 2
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(), first(expected))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('related', 'html', 'plain')),
+                         first(expected))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('related', 'html')),
+                         first(expected[related:html+1]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('related', 'plain')),
+                         first([expected[related], expected[plain]]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('html', 'plain')),
+                         first(expected[html:plain+1]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=['related']), expected[related])
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=['html']), expected[html])
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=['plain']), expected[plain])
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('plain', 'html')),
+                         first(expected[plain:html-1:-1]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('plain', 'related')),
+                         first([expected[plain], expected[related]]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('html', 'related')),
+                         first(expected[html::-1]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('plain', 'html', 'related')),
+                         first(expected[::-1]))
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_body(preferencelist=('html', 'plain', 'related')),
+                         first([expected[html],
+                                     expected[plain],
+                                     expected[related]]))
+
+    def message_as_attachment_source(self, body_parts, attachments, parts, msg):
+        m = self._str_msg(msg)
+        allparts = list(m.walk())
+        attachments = [allparts[n] for n in attachments]
+        self.assertEqual(list(m.iter_attachments()), attachments)
+
+    def message_as_parts_source(self, body_parts, attachments, parts, msg):
+        m = self._str_msg(msg)
+        allparts = list(m.walk())
+        parts = [allparts[n] for n in parts]
+        self.assertEqual(list(m.iter_parts()), parts)
+
+    class _TestContentManager:
+        def get_content(self, msg, *args, **kw):
+            return msg, args, kw
+        def set_content(self, msg, *args, **kw):
+            self.msg = msg
+            self.args = args
+            self.kw = kw
+
+    def test_get_content_with_cm(self):
+        m = self._str_msg('')
+        cm = self._TestContentManager()
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(content_manager=cm), (m, (), {}))
+        msg, args, kw = m.get_content('foo', content_manager=cm, bar=1, k=2)
+        self.assertEqual(msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(args, ('foo',))
+        self.assertEqual(kw, dict(bar=1, k=2))
+
+    def test_get_content_default_cm_comes_from_policy(self):
+        p = policy.default.clone(content_manager=self._TestContentManager())
+        m = self._str_msg('', policy=p)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content(), (m, (), {}))
+        msg, args, kw = m.get_content('foo', bar=1, k=2)
+        self.assertEqual(msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(args, ('foo',))
+        self.assertEqual(kw, dict(bar=1, k=2))
+
+    def test_set_content_with_cm(self):
+        m = self._str_msg('')
+        cm = self._TestContentManager()
+        m.set_content(content_manager=cm)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.args, ())
+        self.assertEqual(cm.kw, {})
+        m.set_content('foo', content_manager=cm, bar=1, k=2)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.args, ('foo',))
+        self.assertEqual(cm.kw, dict(bar=1, k=2))
+
+    def test_set_content_default_cm_comes_from_policy(self):
+        cm = self._TestContentManager()
+        p = policy.default.clone(content_manager=cm)
+        m = self._str_msg('', policy=p)
+        m.set_content()
+        self.assertEqual(cm.msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.args, ())
+        self.assertEqual(cm.kw, {})
+        m.set_content('foo', bar=1, k=2)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.msg, m)
+        self.assertEqual(cm.args, ('foo',))
+        self.assertEqual(cm.kw, dict(bar=1, k=2))
+
+    # Method should raise ValueError error when called on multipart/subtype.
+    subtype_params = (
+        ('related',      'plain',          'succeeds'),
+        ('related',      'related',        ''),
+        ('related',      'alternative',    'raises'),
+        ('related',      'mixed',          'raises'),
+        ('alternative',  'plain',          'succeeds'),
+        ('alternative',  'related',        'succeeds'),
+        ('alternative',  'alternative',    ''),
+        ('alternative',  'mixed',          'raises'),
+        ('mixed',        'plain',          'succeeds'),
+        ('mixed',        'related',        'succeeds'),
+        ('mixed',        'alternative',    'succeeds'),
+        ('mixed',        'mixed',          ''),
+        )
+
+    def subtype_as_make(self, method, subtype, outcome):
+        m = self.message()
+
+        if outcome in ('', 'raises'):
+            m['Content-Type'] = 'multipart/' + subtype
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as cm:
+                getattr(m, 'make_' + method)()
+            exc_text = str(cm.exception)
+            self.assertIn(subtype, exc_text)
+            self.assertIn(method, exc_text)
+            return
+
+        msg_headers =  (
+            ('To', 'foo@bar.com'),
+            ('From', 'bar@foo.com'),
+            ('X-Random-Header', 'Corwin'),
+            )
+        if subtype == 'text':
+            maintype = 'text'
+            payload = ''
+        else:
+            maintype = 'multipart'
+            payload = []
+        maintype = 'text' if subtype=='plain' else 'multipart'
+        part_headers = (
+            ('Content-Type', '/'.join([maintype, subtype])),
+            ('X-Trump', 'Random'),
+            )
+        for name, value in msg_headers + part_headers:
+            m[name] = value
+        m.set_payload(payload)
+        getattr(m, 'make_' + method)()
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content_maintype(), 'multipart')
+        self.assertEqual(len(m.get_payload()), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content_subtype(), method)
+        for name, value in msg_headers:
+            self.assertEqual(m[name], value)
+        self.assertEqual(len(m), len(msg_headers)+1) # +1 for new Content-Type
+        part = next(m.iter_parts())
+        self.assertEqual(len(part), len(part_headers))
+        for name, value in part_headers:
+            self.assertEqual(part[name], value)
+        self.assertEqual(part.get_payload(), payload)
+
+    def subtype_as_make_with_boundary(self, method, subtype, outcome):
+        # Doing all variation is a bit of overkill...
+        m = self.message()
+        if outcome in ('', 'raises'):
+            m['Content-Type'] = 'multipart/' + subtype
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as cm:
+                getattr(m, 'make_' + method)()
+            return
+        m['Content-Type'] = ('text/plain' if subtype == 'plain'
+                                          else 'multipart/' + subtype)
+        getattr(m, 'make_' + method)(boundary="abc")
+        self.assertTrue(m.is_multipart())
+        self.assertEqual(len(m.get_payload()), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_boundary(), 'abc')
+
+    def test_policy_on_part_made_by_make_comes_from_message(self):
+        for method in ('make_related', 'make_alternative', 'make_mixed'):
+            m = self.message(policy=self.policy.clone(content_manager='foo'))
+            getattr(m, method)()
+            self.assertEqual(m.get_payload(0).policy.content_manager, 'foo')
+
+    class _TestSetContentManager:
+        def set_content(self, msg, content, *args, **kw):
+            msg['Content-Type'] = 'text/plain'
+            msg.set_payload(content)
+
+    def subtype_as_add(self, method, subtype, outcome):
+        cm = self._TestSetContentManager()
+        m = self.message()
+        add_method = 'add_attachment' if method=='mixed' else 'add_' + method
+
+        if outcome == 'raises':
+            m['Content-Type'] = 'multipart/' + subtype
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as ar:
+                getattr(m, add_method)()
+            exc_text = str(ar.exception)
+            self.assertIn(subtype, exc_text)
+            self.assertIn(method, exc_text)
+            return
+
+        msg_headers =  (
+            ('To', 'foo@bar.com'),
+            ('From', 'bar@foo.com'),
+            ('X-Random-Header', 'Corwin'),
+            )
+        if subtype == 'text':
+            maintype = 'text'
+            payload = ''
+        else:
+            maintype = 'multipart'
+            payload = []
+        maintype = 'text' if subtype=='plain' else 'multipart'
+        part_headers = (
+            ('Content-Type', '/'.join([maintype, subtype])),
+            ('X-Trump', 'Random'),
+            )
+        for name, value in msg_headers + part_headers:
+            m[name] = value
+        m.set_payload(payload)
+        getattr(m, add_method)('test', content_manager=cm)
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content_maintype(), 'multipart')
+        self.assertEqual(m.get_content_subtype(), method)
+
+        if method == subtype:
+            self.assertEqual(len(m.get_payload()), 1)
+            for name, value in msg_headers + part_headers:
+                self.assertEqual(m[name], value)
+            part = next(m.iter_parts())
+            self.assertEqual(part.get_content_type(), 'text/plain')
+            self.assertEqual(part.get_payload(), 'test')
+            return
+
+        self.assertEqual(len(m.get_payload()), 2)
+        for name, value in msg_headers:
+            self.assertEqual(m[name], value)
+        self.assertEqual(len(m), len(msg_headers)+1) # +1 for new Content-Type
+        parts = m.iter_parts()
+        part = next(parts)
+        self.assertEqual(len(part), len(part_headers))
+        for name, value in part_headers:
+            self.assertEqual(part[name], value)
+        self.assertEqual(part.get_payload(), payload)
+        new_part = next(parts)
+        self.assertEqual(new_part.get_content_type(), 'text/plain')
+        self.assertEqual(new_part.get_payload(), 'test')
+
+    class _TestSetRaisingContentManager:
+        def set_content(self, msg, content, *args, **kw):
+            raise Exception('test')
+
+    def test_default_content_manager_for_add_comes_from_policy(self):
+        cm = self._TestSetRaisingContentManager()
+        m = self.message(policy=self.policy.clone(content_manager=cm))
+        for method in ('add_related', 'add_alternative', 'add_attachment'):
+            with self.assertRaises(Exception) as ar:
+                getattr(m, method)('')
+            self.assertEqual(str(ar.exception), 'test')
+
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/test_policy.py b/Lib/test/test_email/test_policy.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test_policy.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_policy.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
         'raise_on_defect':          False,
         'header_factory':           email.policy.EmailPolicy.header_factory,
         'refold_source':            'long',
+        'content_manager':          email.policy.EmailPolicy.content_manager,
         })
 
     # For each policy under test, we give here what we expect the defaults to