  We consider the nonlinear propagation of light in an optical fiber waveguide
as modeled by the anharmonic Maxwell-Lorentz equations (AMLE). The waveguide is
assumed to have an index of refraction which varies periodically along its
length. The wavelength of light is selected to be in resonance with the
periodic structure (Bragg resonance). The AMLE system considered incorporates
the effects non-instantaneous response of the medium to the electromagnetic
field (chromatic or material dispersion), the periodic structure (photonic band
dispersion) and nonlinearity. We present a detailed discussion of the role of
these effects individually and in concert. We derive the nonlinear coupled mode
equations (NLCME) which govern the envelope of the coupled backward and forward
components of the electromagnetic field. We prove the validity of the NLCME
description and give explicit estimates for the deviation of the approximation
given by NLCME from the {\it exact} dynamics, governed by AMLE. NLCME is known
to have gap soliton states. A consequence of our results is the existence of
very long-lived {\it gap soliton} states of AMLE. We present numerical
simulations which validate as well as illustrate the limits of the theory.
Finally, we verify that the assumptions of our model apply to the parameter
regimes explored in recent physical experiments in which gap solitons were
observed.
