| Retelling the Tale: An Introduction to Medieval French Literature Contributor(s): Gaunt, Simon (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0715629255 ISBN-13: 9780715629253 Publisher: Bristol Classical Press OUR PRICE: $34.60 Product Type: Paperback Published: July 2001 Annotation: This accessible introduction to medieval French literature concentrates on how to enjoy reading this lively and influential literary tradition. Rather than offering a conventional literary history, Simon Gaunt suggests strategies for reading medieval French texts, many of which retell traditional stories. He shows that although many early texts allude to oral sources for these stories, they belong to a sophisticated and witty written culture that revels in knowledge of competing interpretations of the same story and in the intellectual games that writing enables. Retelling the Tale gives those coming to medieval French literature for the first time a clear sense of how stimulating and enjoyable these texts can be. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | European - French - Literary Criticism | Medieval |
| Dewey: 840 |
| Series: New Readings: Introductions to European Literature and Cultu |
| Physical Information: 0.47" H x 5.88" W x 8.1" (0.49 lbs) 160 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - French |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This accessible introduction to medieval French literature concentrates on how to enjoy reading this lively and influential literary tradition. Rather than offering a conventional literary history, Simon Gaunt suggests strategies for reading medieval French texts, many of which retell traditional stories. A common misconception among students and dated textbooks is that medieval French literature is merely a 'recording' of an oral tradition. This book draws a picture of medieval literature, showing that medieval writers were in fact very aware that they were retelling tales in a new medium. The author shows that, although many early texts allude to oral sources for these stories, they belong to a sophisticated and witty written culture that revels in knowledge of competing interpretations of the same story and in the intellectual games that writing enables. Retelling the Tale gives those coming to medieval French literature for the first time a clear sense of how stimulating and enjoyable these texts can be. |