The Medieval Author in Medieval French Literature (Studies in Arthurian and Courtly Cultures)

Thirty-five years ago Roland Barthes proclaimed the death of the Author. For medievalists no death has been more timely. The essays in this volume create a prism through which to understand medieval authorship as a process and the medieval author as an agency in the making. In Medieval French Literature There Are No Authors, Only Authors--and Enigmas. Is The Medieval Author A Name Or A Function, An Authority Or An Image? The Way We Answer Questions Shapes How We Think About Names Such As Jean De Meun And Guillaume De Machaut, Or Lesser-known Figures Like Gerbert De Montreuil, Gautier De Coincy, Or David Aubert. The Essays In This Volume Create A Prism Through Which To Understand Medieval Authorship As A Process And The Medieval Author As An Agency In The Making. This Book Will Appeal To All Those Who Are Interested In Theoretical Approaches To Authorship And Could Serve As An Introduction To Medieval French Literature For Sophisticated Readers. For Specialists It Delivers An Assessment Of Current Theoretical And Methodological Issues In Medieval Studies. Authorial Relays : Continuing Chrétien's Conte Du Graal / Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner -- Borrowing, Citation, And Authorship In Gautier De Coinci's Miracles De Nostre Dame / Margaret Switten -- Roman De La Rose As A Möbius Strip (on Interpretation) / Alexandre Leupin -- Medieval Author : An Idea Whose Time Hadn't Come? / Stephen G. Nichols -- From One Mask To Another : The Trials And Tribulations Of An Author Of Romance At The Time Of Perceforest / Anne Berthelot (translated By Darla Gervais) -- Experiencing Self And The Narrating Self In Medieval French Chronicles / Sophie Marnette -- Neutrality Affects : Froissart And The Practice Of Historiographic Authorship / Zrinka Stahulijak -- Portraits Of Authors At The End Of The Middle Ages : Tombs In Majesty And Carnivalesque Epitaphs / Jacqueline Cerquiglini-toulet (translated By Darla Gervais) -- Frontally And In Profile : The Identifying Gesture Of The Late Medieval Author / Danielle Bohler (translated By Lia Brozgal) -- Medieval Bestsellers In The Age Of Print : Melusine And Olivier De Castille / Ana Pairet -- What Happened To Medievalists After The Death Of The Author? / Virginie Greene. Edited By Virginie Greene. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [229]-244) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-11 Authorial Relays: Continuing Chrétien’s Conte du Graal....Pages 13-28 Borrowing, Citation, and Authorship in Gautier de Coinci’s Miracles de Nostre Dame....Pages 29-59 The Roman de la Rose as a MöBius Strip (On Interpretation)....Pages 61-75 The Medieval “Author”: An Idea Whose Time Hadn’t Come?....Pages 77-101 From One Mask to Another: The Trials and Tribulations of an Author of Romance at the Time of Perceforest....Pages 103-115 The Experiencing Self and the Narrating Self in Medieval French Chronicles....Pages 117-136 Neutrality Affects: Froissart and the Practice of Historiographic Authorship....Pages 137-156 Portraits of Authors at the end of the Middle Ages: Tombs in Majesty and Carnivalesque Epitaphs....Pages 157-171 Frontally and in Profile: The Identifying Gesture of the Late Medieval Author....Pages 173-187 Medieval Bestsellers in the Age of Print: Melusine and Olivier de Castille....Pages 189-204 What Happened to Medievalists After the Death of the Author?....Pages 205-227 Back Matter....Pages 229-255 Thirty-five years ago Roland Barthes proclaimed the death of the Author. For medievalists no death has been more timely. In Medieval French Literature there are no Authors, only authors--and enigmas. The essays in this volume examine both well-known authorial figures such as Guillaume de Lorris, Jean de Meun, Jean Froissart, Christine de Pizan, and lesser-known ones like Gerbert de Montreuil, Gautier de Coincy, Baudoin Butor, or David Aubert. This book will appeal to all those who are interested in theoretical approaches to authorship. For specialists it delivers an assessment of current theoretical and methodological issues in medieval studies Thirty-five years ago Roland Barthes proclaimed the death of the Author. For medievalists no death has been more timely. In medieval French literature there are no Authors, only authors - and enigmas. Is the medieval author a name or a function, an authority or an image? The way we answer questions shapes how we think about names such as Jean de Meun, Guillaume de Machaut, Jean Froissart, Christine de Pizan, or lesser-known figures like Gerbert de Montreuil, Gautier de Coincy, Baudoin Butor, or David Aubert. The essays in this volume create a prism through which to understand medieval authorsh