Reviews
Calling into question modern concepts of literature, this book is at once a history of the literary act, a history of words, and a history of ideas and works.
This erudite yet limpid 'défence et illustration' of medieval, pre-book culture should silence those who claim that the Middle Ages may have had writing but did not have literature, that this era remains in the 'dark ages,' an enigma, distant as it is in time and spirit. Cerquiglini-Toulet clearly and convincingly establishes the contrary: medieval literature exists in and of itself and as the necessary though often disputed bridge between Antiquity and the Renaissance.
A New History of Medieval French Literature has many merits. It offers a synthesis of medieval ideas of literature by one of the most preeminent scholars of our days. Its pages contain a wealth of references to texts both familiar and obscure, inviting us all to expand our reading lists. And, above all, it represents a new variety of literary history, one that scholars should debate for years to come.
A tour de force by a major voice in medieval literature. One senses Professor Cerquiglini-Toulet's deep pockets of knowledge on just about every page of this lively written, completely engaging, and pleasurable new understanding of medieval French literature.
Book Details
Translator's Note
Introduction
Part I: Writing in the Middle Ages
1. The Materiality of Writing
2. The Question of the Author
3. The Work and Its Audiences
4. The Work and Its Milieux
Part II: The Field of
Translator's Note
Introduction
Part I: Writing in the Middle Ages
1. The Materiality of Writing
2. The Question of the Author
3. The Work and Its Audiences
4. The Work and Its Milieux
Part II: The Field of Literature
5. The Subject Matter
6. The Paths to Writing
7. Modes of Composition
8. Models of Writing
Part III: Building the Sense
9. The Question of Literary Heritage
Conclusion: The Incubation Period
Chronology
Notes
Bibliography