Description
Book SynopsisAn investigation into the depiction and reception of the figure of Alexander in the literatures of medieval Europe. How was Alexander the Great - controversial king, conqueror, explorer, and pupil of Aristotle, the subject of histories, romances, epic poetry, satires, and sermons in most of the languages of Europe and the Middle East - read, written and rewritten during the High Middle Ages? Aiming to illuminate not only the conqueror's history but also the fast-changing and complex literary landscape that existed between 1150 and 1350, this study considers Alexander narratives in Latin, varieties of French and English - the Alexandreis, the Roman d'Alexandre, the Roman de toute chevalerie, and Kyng Alisaunder - to address this vast and wide-ranging question. These important Alexander works are compared with the fortunes of other prestigious inherited tales, such as stories of Arthur and Troy, highlighting the various forms of translatio studii then prevalent across northern France andBritain. The book's historically appropriate focus on Latin, French and English allows it to take a multilingual and comparative approach to linguistic, literary and political cultures, moving away from interpretations driven by post-medieval nationalism to set the expansive phenomenon that is Alexander in its historical and transnational context. VENETIA BRIDGES is Assistant Professor in the Department of English Studies at Durham University.
Trade ReviewIn this well-written and cogently argued book, Venetia Bridges raises issues usually swept under the carpet of critical discourse on medieval romance. * FRENCH STUDIES *
In addition to fresh readings of Alexander narratives, Bridges's most important contributions are the new terms ('anxious romance,' 'intellectual romance') by which she organizes-or, better, disorganizes-notions of the genre, and her repeated calls to question settled scholarly practice.. [W]ith this book Bridges clears a path for new approaches to medieval literary study and maps ways of getting there. * STUDIES IN THE AGE OF CHAUCER *
This is an exciting topic, and one which will be enthusiastically received by our field. [...] I look forward to seeing future work from Bridges that continues to think in exciting, transnational ways. * MEDIUM AEVUM *
This book will be of interest to literary scholars and advanced students in many different fields: medieval Latin, medieval French and Anglo-Norman, and Middle English. Given Venetia Bridges's preoccupation with interpretive questions, it should have broad appeal. * JOURNAL OF MEDIEVAL LATIN *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Alexander in Antiquity Sic et Non: The Alexandreis and the Ylias Anxious Romance: The Roman d'Alexandre, the Roman de Troie, and Cligès Insular Alexander? The Roman de toute chevalerie and the Roman de Horn English and International? Kyng Alisaunder, Of Arthour and of Merlin, and The Seege or Batayle of Troie Conclusion Appendix 1 Chronology Appendix 2 Narrative Summaries Bibliography Index
