Richer of Saint-Rémi: The Methods and Mentality of a Tenth-Century Historian Contributor(s): Lake, Justin Lake (Author) |
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ISBN: 0813221250 ISBN-13: 9780813221250 Publisher: Catholic University of America Press OUR PRICE: $67.50 Product Type: Hardcover Published: April 2013 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Medieval - History | Europe - France |
Dewey: 944.021 |
LCCN: 2012043470 |
Physical Information: 1.2" H x 5.9" W x 8.7" (1.30 lbs) 336 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The History written by Richer of Saint-R mi (ca. 950-1000) is one of the only contemporary narrative sources for the history of France in the tenth century, a tumultuous period in which the Carolingian and Capetian dynasties fought for control of the throne while Viking raiders inflicted chaos upon the realm, and ambitious nobles expanded their own power at the expense of the monarchy. Besides describing the battles, betrayals, and shifting allegiances that characterized tenth-century political culture, and providing accounts of the major ecclesiastical disputes of his day, Richer's history contains the only contemporary account of the life and career of Gerbert of Aurillac, the brilliant scholar Building upon, but also moving beyond, previous scholarship that has focused on Richer's political allegiances and his views of kingship, this study by Justin Lake provides the most comprehensive synthesis of the History, examining Richer's use and abuse of his sources, his relationship to Gerbert, and the motives that led him to write. Not only Lake situates Richer within the broader scholastic culture of the late tenth-century Latin West and explores the ways in which classical rhetoric, newly revived as a focus of instruction at Rheims by Gerbert, affected the way in which Richer wrote. In particular, he analyzes his use of the classical rhetorical doctrine of plausible narrative (narratio ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Justin Lake is assistant professor of classics at Texas A&M University. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: "An original and thought-provoking work on medieval history-writing. Lake's analysis of "The History of Richer of Reims is one of the rare treasures of a period for which we have relatively few narrative texts. Lake's work makes a significant contribution not merely to our understanding of Richer's history but also to the ways that scholars think about the intellectual culture of the tenth century and beyond."--Jason Glenn, associate professor of history, University of Southern California |