Writers of the reign of Henry II : twelve essays / edited by Ruth Kennedy and Simon Meecham-Jones.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kennedy, Ruth, Dr.

Meecham-Jones, Simon.

Series:

New Middle Ages (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

The new Middle Ages

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Henry II, King of England, 1133-1189.

British literature.

Intellectual life.

Historiography.

History.

Courts and courtiers.

Relations with authors.

Great Britain--History--Henry II, 1154-1189--Congresses.

Great Britain.

Henry II, King of England, 1133-1189--Relations with authors--Congresses.

Henry.

Great Britain--Court and courtiers--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Historiography--Great Britain--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Great Britain--Intellectual life--1066-1485--Congresses.

British literature--History and criticism--Congresses.

Genre:

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

viii, 280 pages ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Summary:

This collection is the work of scholars on Middle English, Insular French and Medieval Latin writings of the late twelfth century in England and its possessions, when an English-speaking populace was ruled by a French-speaking aristocracy and administered by a Latin-speaking and writing clergy. The political discourses of Henry' s reign are acknowledged, developed and ironised within the first real flowering of so many vernacular genres, romance and history in particular. The energetic and intrepid writers of this period are examined in relation to the development of social institutions and emergent ideas of ' nationhood' , as the literature of Henry' s court is shown to act as an echo-chamber within which anxieties about the proper exercise of power in a legal order founded on martial conquest could be reflected and soothed.

Contents:

1 The Cultivation of History, Legend, and Courtesy at the Court of Henry II / John Gillingham 25

2 Latin and French as Languages of the Past in Normandy During the Reign of Henry II: Robert of Torigni, Stephen of Rouen, and Wace / Elisabeth van Houts 53

3 An Intruder at the Feast? Anxiety and Debate in the Letters of Peter of Blois / Neil Cartlidge 79

4 "I Will not Stay Silent": Sovereignty and Textual Identity in Walter of Chatillon's "Propter Sion non Tacebo" / Simon Meecham-Jones 109

5 Sex, Ghosts, and Dreams: Walter Map (1135?-1210?) and Gerald of Wales (1146-1223) / Tony Davenport 133

6 Old English Textual Activity in the Reign of Henry II / Mary Swan 151

7 The Life of English in the Mid-Twelfth Century: Ralph D'Escures's Homily on the Virgin Mary / Elaine Treharne 169

8 English Poetry of the Reign of Henry II / Elizabeth Solopova 187

9 "Gloser La Lettre": Identity and Power in the Poetry of Marie De France / Francoise Le Saux 205

10 The Meaning of Suffering: Symbolism and Antisymbolism in the Death of Tristan / Laura Ashe 221

11 Arthur, Emperors, and Antichrists: The Formation of the Arthurian Biography / Judith Weiss 239

12 Children of Anarchy: Anglo-Norman Romance in the Twelfth Century / Rosalind Field 249.

Notes:

Largely the proceedings of the summer symposia of 2000 and 2001 of the London Old and Middle English Research Seminar.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

1403966443

OCLC:

61724510

Publisher Number:

9781403966445