Synopses & Reviews
Up to the twelfth century, writing in the western vernaculars dealt almost exclusively with religious, historical and factual themes, all of which were understood to convey the truth. The second half of the twelfth century saw the emergence of a new genre--the romance--which was consciously conceived as fictional and therefore allowed to break free from traditional presuppositions. Green examines this period of crucial importance for the romance genre and for the genesis of medieval fiction.
Review
'Green's is a comparative, pan-European approach never neglectful of literary developments and textual examples ... but also ... Green is a true pleasure to read: his manner is unvaryingly straightforward and robust; the perfect mastery with which he develops an argument allows for no loose ends, neither from one paragraph to the next nor from chapter to chapter.' Dalhousie French Studies
Synopsis
Explores the emergence of the romance in the twelfth century.
About the Author
D. H. Green is Shröder Professor Emeritus of German at the University of Cambridge, and a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous books on Medieval German literature.
Table of Contents
Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Defining twelfth-century fictionality; 2. Vernacular fiction in the twelfth century; 3. Fictive orality; 4. Fiction and Wolfram's Parzival; 5. Fiction and structure; 6. Fiction and history; Notes; Bibliography; Index of names.