Medieval Literature: An Introduction to Type-Scenes is the first book-length exploration of the type-scenes of western medieval literature from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, spanning both the Latinate and Germanic traditions. Type-scenes are the recurring, stock scenes comprising the basic structure and cognitive guidance for narrative. These formulaic scenes enabled medieval poets to express originality while honoring tradition. Central to medieval poetic invention, type-scenes form the vital “internal organs” of narrative, each serving a specialized function while working in concert with other organs to create and sustain the story. This accessible and engaging guide to medieval type-scenes consists of three parts: Part One is a Compendium of the type-scenes commonly found in medieval narrative, including analyses of examples from individual poems. Part Two explores combinations of type-scenes within single works of literature for purposes of chronology, characterization, or virtuosity. Part Three examines how a single type-scene manifests across multiple poems, adapting to a variety of settings and periods, while maintaining its original intent. This volume kindles in scholars, teachers and students alike a new and refreshing awareness of the foundational narrative strategies of medieval literature.
Introduction
Part One: A Compendium of Type-Scenes of Medieval Literature
Arming of the Hero
Beasts of Battle
Blason
Catalog of Warriors
Conciliar Debate
Contending Throng
Council of the Gods
Crowd of Onlookers
Dawn Song
Ekphrasis
Epic Descent
Descent into the Underworld (katabasis)
Disguise and Infiltration
Exile
Flyting
Hero on the Beach
Inventio
Joy in the Hall
Lady with the Mead Cup
Loathly Lady Encounter
Locus Amoenus
Magic Ring
Open Heavens
Outlaw Gathering
Paraclausithyron
Rash Promise
Scop’s Repertoire
Sleeping After the Feast
Teichoscopia
Traveler Recognizes His Goal
Wise Woman
Part Two: Type-Scenes Sequences within Single Works
I: Sequencing for Chronology: Boccaccio’s Use of Epic Type-Scenes
in the Teseida.
II: Sequencing for Characterization: Anglo-Saxon as Other in the
Middle English Athelston
III: Sequencing for Virtuosity: The “Sleeping After the Feast” Type-Scene
in Beowulf
Part Three: One Type-Scene in Three Different Works: Medieval Cultural Profiling: The
“Wise Woman” Type-Scene in Middle English Romance
Biography
Dominique Battles holds a Ph.D. in English from University of Virginia, and an M.A. in Medieval Studies from University of York (UK). Her previous publications include The Medieval Tradition of Thebes (2004), and Cultural Difference and Material Culture in Middle English Romance: Normans and Saxons (2013), as well as numerous articles on medieval literature.
