Brills Companion to Europeon History: A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Vol 22

A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to provide an updated scholarly introduction to all aspects of his work. Arguably the most influential secular writer of medieval Britain, Geoffrey (d. 1154) popularized Arthurian literature and left an indelible mark on European romance, history, and genealogy. Despite this outsized influence, Geoffrey’s own life, background, and motivations are little understood. The volume situates his life and works within their immediate historical context and frames them within current critical discussion across the humanities. By necessity, this volume concentrates primarily on Geoffrey’s own life and times, with the reception of his works covered by a series of short encyclopaedic overviews, organized by language, that serve as guides to further reading. Readership: A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth should appeal to anyone with an interest in Arthurian literature, Celtic studies, and medieval history. 9789004410398 1 9789004410398_webready_content_text 2 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 10 A Note on Translations 11 Figures 12 Abbreviations 13 Notes on Contributors 15 Introduction and Biography 20 Part 1 Sources 48 Chapter 1 Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Welsh Sources 50 Chapter 2 Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Classical and Biblical Inheritance 86 Chapter 3 Geoffrey of Monmouth and the English Past 124 Chapter 4 Riddling Words: the Prophetiae Merlini 148 Part 2 Contemporary Contexts 172 Chapter 5 Early Manuscript Dissemination 174 Chapter 6 Early Reactions to Geoffrey’s Work 200 Chapter 7 The Latin Reception of the De gestis Britonum 228 Chapter 8 Geoffrey of Monmouth’s De gestis Britonum and Twelfth-Century Romance 254 Chapter 9 The Most Excellent Princes: Geoffrey of Monmouth and Medieval Welsh Historical Writing 276 Chapter 10 Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Conventions of History Writing in Early 12th-Century England 310 Part 3 Approaches 334 Chapter 11 Colonial Preoccupations in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s De gestis Britonum 336 Chapter 12 Geoffrey and Gender: the Works of Geoffrey of Monmouth as Medieval “Feminism” 360 Chapter 13 Geoffrey of Monmouth and Race 388 Chapter 14 Religion and the Church in Geoffrey of Monmouth 416 Part 4 Reception 444 Introduction to Part 4 The Medieval Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth 445 Chapter 15 Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Byzantine Reception 446 Chapter 16 The De gestis Britonum in Castile 451 Chapter 17 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Crown of Aragon 456 Chapter 18 The Middle Dutch Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth 461 Chapter 19 The English Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth 468 Chapter 20 The Anglo-Norman and Continental French Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Corpus from the 12th to the 15th Centuries 473 Chapter 21 The German Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth 486 Chapter 22 The Old Icelandic “Brut” 488 Chapter 23 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in Ireland 494 Chapter 24 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Work in Italy 496 Chapter 25 Geoffrey of Monmouth in Portugal and Galicia 501 Chapter 26 The Scottish Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth 506 Chapter 27 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in Wales 513 Bibliography 518 Manuscripts 571 General Index 574 "A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to provide an updated scholarly introduction to all aspects of his work. Arguably the most influential secular writer of medieval Britain, Geoffrey (d. 1154) popularized Arthurian literature and left an indelible mark on European romance, history, and genealogy. Despite this outsized influence, Geoffrey's own life, background, and motivations are little understood. The volume situates his life and works within their immediate historical context, and frames them within current critical discussion across the humanities. By necessity, this volume concentrates primarily on Geoffrey's own life and times, with the reception of his works covered by a series of short encyclopaedic overviews, organized by language, that serve as guides to further reading. Contributors are Jean Blacker, Elizabeth Bryan, Thomas H. Crofts, Siân Echard, Fabrizio De Falco, Michael Faletra, Ben Guy, Santiago Gutiérrez Garcia, Nahir I. Otaño Gracia, Paloma Gracia, Giorgia Henley, David F. Johnson, Owain Wyn Jones, Maud Burnett McInerney, Françoise Le Saux, Barry Lewis, Coral Lumbley, Simon Meecham-Jones, Paul Russell, Victoria Shirley, Joshua Byron Smith, Jaakko Tahkokallio, Hélène Tétrel, Rebecca Thomas, Fiona Tolhurst"-- Provided by publisher

A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to provide an updated scholarly introduction to all aspects of his work. Arguably the most influential secular writer of medieval Britain, Geoffrey (d. 1154) popularized Arthurian literature and left an indelible mark on European romance, history, and genealogy. Despite this outsized influence, Geoffrey's own life, background, and motivations are little understood. The volume situates his life and works within their immediate historical context, and frames them within current critical discussion across the humanities. By necessity, this volume concentrates primarily on Geoffrey's own life and times, with the reception of his works covered by a series of short encyclopaedic overviews, organized by language, that serve as guides to further reading.