New Troy - Fantaisies of Empire in the Late Middle Ages

Klappentext Examines the political and literary uses of the Trojan legend in the medieval period. England in the late fourteenth century witnessed a large-scale social revolt! a lingering and seemingly hopeless war with France! and fierce factional conflicts in royal politics and London civic government--struggles in which all parties sought to justify their actions by claiming historical precedent. How the Trojan legend figured in these claims--and in competing assertions of authorial legitimacy! nationhood! and rule in the later Middle Ages--is the complex nexus of history! myth! literature! and identity that Sylvia Federico explores in this ambitious book. During the late medieval period! many European political and social groups took great pains to associate themselves with the ancient city; the claim on Troy! Federico asserts! was crucial to nationhood and was always a political act. Her book examines the poetry and prose of several late medieval authors! focusing particularly in how Chaucer's use of the Trojan legend helped to set the terms by which the Ricardian and Lancastrian periods were distinguished! and further helped to establish English literary history as a noble precedent in its own right. Federico's book affords remarkable insight into the workings of the medieval historical imagination. Zusammenfassung Late medieval England was obsessed with the myth and legend of Troy! something which is readily reflected in the poetry and prose of the period. Although kings and emperors had frequently lain claim to be the descendants of Troy! Federico argues that in medieval England Trojanism was vital to authorial! regnal! and national identity formation'.

Product details

• Authors: Sylvia Federico
• Publisher: University Of Minnesota Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.07.2003
• EAN: 9780816641673
• ISBN: 978-0-8166-4167-3
• No. of pages: 240
• Dimensions: 149 mm x 228 mm x 14 mm
• Series: Medieval Cultures; Medieval Cultures
• Subject: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs