Twelve essays address a central concern of medieval romance, the matter of identity. Identity is a central concern of medieval romance. Here it is approached through essays on issues of origin and parentage, transformation and identity, and fundamental questions of what constitutes the human. The construction of knightly identity through education and testing is explored, and placed in relation to female identity; the significance of the motif of doubling is studied. Shifting perceptions of identities are traced through the histories of specific texts, and the identity of romance itself is the subject of several essays discussing ideas of genre (the overlap between romance and hagiography is a theme linking a number of articles in the collection). Medieval romanceis shown as a marketable commodity in the printed output of William Copland, and as an opportunity for literary experimentation in the work of John Metham. The texts discussed include: Chevalere Assigne, Sir Gowther, Sir Ysumbras, Beves of Hamtoun, Robert of Cisyle, the Fierabras romances, Breton lays, Thomas's Tristan and Marie de France's Eliduc. Contributors: W.A. DAVENPORT, JOANNE CHARBONNEAU, CORINNE SAUNDERS, AMANDA HOPKINS, MORGAN DICKSON, MARIANNE AILES, JUDITH WEISS, JOHN SIMONS, RHIANNON PURDIE, MALDWYN MILLS, A.S.G. EDWARDS, ROGER DALRYMPLE.
About the AuthorPHILLIPA HARDMAN is Reader in Medieval English Literature (retired) at the University of Reading. A. S. G. Edwards is Honorary Professor of Medieval Manuscripts at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Corinne Saunders is Professor of Medieval Literature at the Department of English Studies, University of Durham. MARIANNE AILES is Professor of French at the University of Bristol. Roger Dalrymple is Deputy Director and Professor in the Department for Continuing Education at the University of Oxford
Reviews[Readers] will find a number of solid investigations that contribute to the field of Middle English studies as well as several comparative readings of a variety of interesting works.The collection is most useful to generalists in any field of medieval literature. * ARTHURIANA *
Book InformationISBN 9780859917612
Author Phillipa HardmanFormat Hardback
Page Count 184
Imprint D.S. BrewerPublisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd