Palimpsests and the literary imagination of medieval England : collected essays / edited by Leo Carruthers, Raeleen Chai-Elsholz, and Tatjana Silec.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Carruthers, Leo M.

Chai-Elsholz, Raeleen, 1967-

Silec, Tatjana, 1976-

Series:

New Middle Ages (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

The new Middle Ages

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--History and criticism.

English literature.

English literature--Old English, ca. 450-1100--Sources.

English literature--Middle English, 1100-1500--Sources.

English literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--Sources.

Palimpsests.

Transmission of texts--History.

Transmission of texts.

History.

English literature--Early modern.

English literature--Middle English.

English literature--Old English.

Physical Description:

xx, 267 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Summary:

"Witnesses to the disappearance of a text, palimpsest manuscripts bear the marks of their own genesis, for their original inscription was rubbed out and written over on the same parchment. Erasure is a prerequisite of reinscription; destruction paves the way for renewal. Thus the palimpsest is an image of the processes of revision and accretion which shape medieval literary production. This collection explores analogies of erasure and rewriting observed in editorial and literary practices underlying the production of texts from medieval England. Whether palimpsests are the primary focus of study or serve as a metaphor for various phenomena of loss and accumulation, all the essays investigate the process of reinscription. "--Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Dedicated to André Crépin on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780230100268

0230100260

OCLC:

500819563