This dissertation investigates the character and use of Arthurian narratives in medieval Latin literature, with particular emphasis on the socio-political, ideological and literary functions they were designed to serve. It focuses on a little-known assortment of writings from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, contextualising Latin Arthurian material with analyses of contemporary history and literary culture. It begins with a re-evaluation of Geoffrey of Monmouth's role in'the development of Arthurian literature, especially his influence on Latin historiography and medieval romance, evaluating what I perceive to be a noticeable shift in register between his earlier work, Historia Regum Britanniae, and his later poem, Vita Merlini. I argue that the later work anticipates the rise of romance writing, and also consider it in relation to the emergence of the individual in twelfth-century literature. The dissertation then examines a number of understudied Latin Arthurian works, through individual case studies, in order to demonstrate the varied and interesting uses that post-Galfridian writers found for the Arthurian legend. The study of this heterogeneous collection of texts is intended to produce a deeper understanding and appreciation of Latin Arthuriana and to reassess its position in relation to the wider literary canon. A short conclusion also establishes some connections between these Latin texts and vernacular literature, and calls for further investigation into the relationship between these two linguistic traditions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:633118 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | McFadyen, Johnny |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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