1st Edition
Remembering Boethius Writing Aristocratic Identity in Late Medieval French and English Literatures
By Elizabeth Elliott
Copyright 2012
178 Pages
by
Routledge
178 Pages
by
Routledge
178 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Remembering Boethius explores the rich intersection between the reception of Boethius and the literary construction of aristocratic identity, focusing on a body of late-medieval vernacular literature that draws on the Consolation of Philosophy to represent and reimagine contemporary experiences of exile and imprisonment. Elizabeth Elliott presents new interpretations of English, French, and... Read more
Introduction; Chapter 1 Boethian Counsel: Guillaume de Machaut's Confort d'ami; Chapter 2 Consolatory Vision: Translating Boethius in Guillaume de Machaut's Remede de Fortune; Chapter 3 Boethian Discipline: Desire and Restraint in Guillaume de Machaut's Fonteinne amoureuse; Chapter 4 Memory, Desire and Writing in Jean Froissart's Prison amoureuse; Chapter 5 Redeeming Memory: Thomas Usk's Testament of Love; Chapter 6 Textual Authority and the Making of a Model Prince: James I of Scotland and The Kingis Quair; conclusion Conclusion;
Biography
Elizabeth Elliott is a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, UK.
'Elizabeth Elliott treats a number of subjects - Boethius, Boethius's "fortune" in the later Middle Ages, memory, life-writing, prison literature, advice to princes - in a deft and sophisticated manner. Engaging with Boethius, a philosopher, she deals with complex philosophical questions, and she insists upon the serious, intellectual component in texts which, up to now, were considered largely to be works of aristocratic and aesthetic play.' William Calin, University of Florida, USA and author of The French Tradition and the Literature of Medieval England 'This study is a fine contribution to recent scholarship on the influence of medieval translations of Boethian models. With its emphasis on memory as a means of consolation and also ethical perfection, the study sheds new light on the erotic imagery so striking in the works analysed, making a strong case for a moral significance that contradicts the intention traditionally attributed to Boethius. Moreover, by insisting on the political and ethical significance of such amatory writings, the study opens up new paths to explore.' Parergon 'Elliot offers new and exciting discussions of late medieval literary uses of Boethius as evidence of the emergence of vernacular authorship as well as the conscious representation of aristocratic identity in literature.' Comitatus
