This lavishly illustrated study is a comprehensive literary and social history which offers a record of changing genres, manuscript/book production, and cultural, political, and religious emphases by examining one of the most long lived popular legends in England. Guy of Warwick became part of history when he was named in chronicles and heraldic rolls. The power of the Earls of Warwick, especially Richard de Beauchamp, inspired the spread of the legend, but Guy's highest fame came in the Renaissance as one of the Nine Worthies. Widely praised in texts and allusions, Guy's feats were sung in ballads and celebrated on the stage in England and France.
The first Anglo-Norman romance of Gui de Warewic, a Saxon hero of the tenth century was written in the early 13th century; the latest retellings of the legend are contemporary. Examples of Guy's legend can be found in two English translations that survived the Middle Ages, a new French prose romance, a didactic tale in the GestaRomanorum, and late medieval versions in Celtic, German, and Catalan, as well as English. Guy remained a favorite Edwardian children's story and was featured in the Warwick Pageant, an historical extravaganza of 1906. The patriotism of World War II sparked a resurgence of interest that produced several new versions, mostly folkloric.

About the Author
Velma Bourgeois Richmond,

Reviews

"This book provides a useful collection of information.." -- Ethnologies
"Comprehensive and exhaustive. Velma Richmond is to be commended for completing this large and complex study, and for providing an essential reference for the Guy legend." -- Parergon
"Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty." -- Choice
"A well written, intelligently illustrated book packed with a great deal of information that offers opportunities to scholars to incorporate hitherto neglected material into their understanding of all English literary periods." -- Medium rvum

Book Information
ISBN 9780415763769
Author Velma Bourgeois Richmond
Format Paperback
Page Count 632
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g