Criticism of the Court and the Evil King in the Middle Ages - Literary-Historical Analyses

Examining literary narratives from the tenth through the fifteenth centuries, this book explores how writers used their craft to voice harsh criticism of the ruling class and unearths a deep distrust of kings and other authority figures during the Middle Ages.

List of contents

Introduction
Chapter One: The Medieval King, Monarchy, the Court, and Philosophical-Political Reflections. Unexpected Perspectives Toward a Critical Discourse: Political Reflections
Chapter Two: Waltharius: An Honest Warrior Fights Against an Evil King: Early Medieval Criticism of a Ruler
Chapter Three: The Neglectful, Ineffectual, Pathetic, and Useless King: Heinrich der Glîchezâre's Reinhart Fuchs and the Criticism of a Ruler. The Story of a Complete Failure
Chapter Four: Herzog Ernst and the Cruel Emperor: Criticism of an Unhinged Ruler
Chapter Five: Disappointment about the Fictional King: Criticism of the Royal Ruler in Marie de France's Lais
Chapter Six: A Tyrant King in the Viking World: Egil's Saga and Other Epic Poems
Chapter Seven: The Idealized King Proves to be a Miserable Creature: Political Criticism in the Old French Huon de Bordeaux
Chapter Eight: The Public Discussion of the King in Boccaccio's Decameron
Sacrosanct or Vile? The Banalization of Kingship in the Late Middle Ages
Chapter Nine: A Weak Husband, an Evil King, and a Miserable Character: The Downfall of Charlemagne in Late Medieval Prose Novels by Countess Elisabeth of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Others.
Königin Sibille and the Anonymous Malagis With an Interlude Focused on the Nibelungenlied
Epilogue
Bibliography
About the Author

About the author

Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor of German Studies at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Product details

• Authors: Albrecht Classen, Classen Albrecht
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 15.08.2024
• EAN: 9781666941210
• ISBN: 978-1-66694-121-0
• No. of pages: 300
• Series: Studies in Medieval Literature
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry, LITERARY CRITICISM / Medieval, LITERARY CRITICISM / Subjects & Themes / Politics, Politics & government, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Literature: history & criticism, Literary studies: ancient, classical & medieval