Description
Book SynopsisGildas's 'De Excidio Britanniae' is the prime source of our knowledge of post-Roman Britain, but because it is such an isolated text, for which we have no obvious historical, geographical or cultural background, it is a work whichraises more questions than answers. Much effort has been expended on extracting historical facts from 'De excidio', but Gildas did not set out to write history as we understand it. The common approach of the contributors to thisvolume is to look at tha author and his text on their own terms, for themselves rather than for the items of evidence which we can get out of them. Who was Gildas, and what was his position in society? What was his intellectual background - what he had learnt of Latin and Christian culture through his education, and what did he know of British language and literary traditions? What audience was he adressing? All these questions can be given some kind of answer by a close study of the text of the 'De excidio'. But there is also important
Trade Review`The studies illuminate both text and context: together, they consititue an exciting stage in the entreprise, ... of recovering the history of sub-Roman Britain ... a consistently good collection'. Revue Belge de Philologie et d'Histoire * . *
Table of ContentsThe end of Roman Britain: Continental evidence and parallels Gildas's education and the Latin culture of sub-Roman Britain Gildas and Maelgwn: problems of dating The chronology of De Excidio Britanniae, Book I Gildas's geographical perspective: some problems Gildas's prose style and its origins Clausulae in Gildas's De Excidio Britanniae Britain's iudices The imagery of Gildas's De Excidio Britanniae Gildas and vernacular poetry Gildas as a Father of the Church Gildas and Uinniau Bibliography
