Shaping Identity in Medieval French Literature: The Other Within (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780813056432)

This collection considers the multiplicity and instability of medieval French literary identity, arguing that it is fluid and represented in numerous ways. The works analyzed span genres--epic, romance, lyric poetry, hagiography, fabliaux--and historical periods from the twelfth century to the late Middle Ages. Contributors examine the complexity of the notion of self through a wide range of lenses, from marginal characters to gender to questions of voice and naming. Studying a variety of texts--including Conte du Graal, Roman de la Rose, Huon de Bordeaux, and the Oxford Roland--they conceptualize the Other Within as an individual who simultaneously exists within a group while remaining foreign to it. They explore the complex interactions between and among individuals and groups, and demonstrate how identity can be imposed and self-imposed not only by characters but by authors and audiences. Taken together, these essays highlight the fluidity and complexity of identity in medieval French texts, and underscore both the richness of the literature and its engagement with questions that are at once more and less modern than they initially appear. Contributors: Adrian P. Tudor Kristin L. Burr William Burgwinkle Jane Gilbert Francis Gingras Sara I. James Douglas Kelly Mary Jane Schenck James R. Simpson Jane H.M. Taylor

Author: Adrian P. Tudor
ISBN-10: 0813056438
ISBN-13: 9780813056432
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Language: English
Published: 08/27/2019
Pages: 208
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.04lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2020