| Description |
1 online resource |
| Series |
Bristol Studies in Medieval Cultures, 1757-2150 |
|
Charlemagne : a European icon |
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Bristol studies in medieval cultures.
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| Contents |
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- General preface. Charlemagne: A European Icon -- Preface. Charlemagne in England: The Matter of France in Middle English and Anglo-Norman Literature -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Introduction. Charlemagne in England: Owning the Legend -- 1 Acculturating Charlemagne: The Insular Literary Context -- 2 Charlemagne 'Translated': The Anglo-Norman Tradition -- 3 Charlemagne 'Appropriated': The Middle English Tradition -- 4 Re-Imagining the Hero: The Insular Roland and the Battle of Roncevaux -- 5 Re-Presenting Otherness: The Insular Fierabras Tradition -- 6 Re-Purposing the Narrative: The Insular Otinel Tradition -- Conclusion: The Insular Afterlife of the Matter of France -- Appendix: The Corpus: Texts and Manuscripts -- Bibliography -- Index |
| Summary |
The Matter of France, the legendary history of Charlemagne, had a central but now largely unrecognised place in the multilingual culture of medieval England. From the early claim in the Chanson de Roland that Charlemagne held England as his personal domain, to the later proliferation of Middle English romances of Charlemagne, the materials are woven into the insular political and cultural imagination. However, unlike the wide range of continental French romances, the insular tradition concentrates on stories of a few heroic characters: Roland, Fierebras, Otinel. Why did writers and audiences in England turn again and again to these narratives, rewirting and reinterpreting them for more than two hundred years? This book is the first full-length study of the tradition. It investigates the currency and impact of the Matter of France with equal attention to English and French-language texts, setting each individual manuscript or early printed text in its contemporary cultural and political context. The narratives are revealed to be extraordinarily adaptable, using the iconic opposition between Carolingian and Saracen heroes to reflect concerns with national politics, religious identity, the future of Christendom, chivalry and ethics, and monarchy and treason. Phillipa Hardman is Reader in Medieval English Literature (retired) at the University of Reading; Marianne Ailes is Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Bristol |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Charlemagne, Emperor, 742-814 -- In literature
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| SUBJECT |
Charlemagne, Emperor, 742-814 fast |
| Subject |
English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- History and criticism
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Anglo-Norman literature -- History and criticism
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BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Literary.
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Anglo-Norman literature
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English literature -- Middle English
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Literature
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| SUBJECT |
France -- In literature
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| Subject |
France
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| Genre/Form |
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Ailes, Marianne, author.
|
| ISBN |
9781787440562 |
|
1787440567 |
|
