Geoffrey of Monmouth

Karen Jankulak

Description

Geoffrey of Monmouth, a twelfth-century cleric, was the first person to compose a detailed and continuous history of Britain from its origins to the domination of the Anglo-Saxons. His writings were enormously popular throughout the western European world, and he is justly credited with bringing 'The Matter of Britain' (including, most notably, the figure of Arthur) to a much wider audience. The vast popularity of this material has persisted to the present day, mainly but not solely in the interest shown in 'King Arthur'. This book illustrates the close ties between Geoffrey's notion of British and Arthurian society and other materials from medieval Wales and Ireland.

Sujets

• Medieval
• Histoire
• Reino Unido
• United Kingdom
• Great Britain
• History
• Royaume-Uni
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 30 juillet 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780708323144
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Writers of Wales

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Karen Jankulak

University of Wales Press

Writers of Wales

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Editors: Meic Stephens Jane Aaron M.Wynn Thomas

Honorary Series Editor: R. Brinley Jones

Other titles in the Writers of Wales series: Herbert Williams(2010), Phil Carradice Rhys Davies(2009), Huw Osborne R. S.Thomas(2006),Tony Brown Ben Bowen(2003),T. Robin Chapman James Kitchener Davies(2002), M.Wynn Thomas

Writers of Wales

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Karen Jankulak

University of Wales Press

Cardiff 2010

© Karen Jankulak, 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London, EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to The University of Wales Press, 10 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff, CF10 4UP.

www.uwp.co.uk

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-0-7083-2151-5 e-ISBN 978-0-7083-2314-4

The right of Karen Jankulak to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Printed in Wales by Dinefwr Press, Llandybïe

Acknowledgements Introduction

1 2 3

4

5 6 7 8 9

Contents

Geoffrey of Monmouth and his Work Historia Regum Britanniaeand its Sources Geoffrey’s Models: Thinking about History in Medieval Wales and Ireland Geoffrey’s Welsh Inheritance: the Red Dragon and the Promise of Sovereignty Britain and Rome Magnus Maximus and the Colonization of Brittany The Arthurian Section ofHistoria Regum Britanniae Merlin,Prophetiae MerliniandVita Merlini Welsh Tradition and Geoffrey’s Legacy

Conclusion Select Bibliography

vii 1

5 13

22

29 38 54 67 78 94

103 105

Acknowledgements

I would like give profound thanks to John Carey and Oliver Padel, both of whom read a penultimate draft of this book. Any failure to take their very helpful suggestions, and any remaining errors are of course my own. I would like to thank Professor Brynley Roberts for his generous encouragement. I would like to thank the anonymous readers for University of Wales Press for valuable suggestions, and would like to particularly thank Sarah Lewis for her great patience. I would also like to thank Dawn Evans and Michelle Evans, without whose friendship and support I would not have been able to write this book. I would like to thank Jonathan Wooding, who read numerous drafts and encouraged me throughout in every possible way. Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to the late Gwenaël Le Duc, with profound appreciation for encouragement, much practical assistance and illuminating and stimulating conversations on a number of subjects, this last one cruelly cut short.

The chapter and line divisions of ed. Actom Griscom,The Historia Regum Britanniae of Geoffrey of Monmouth(London and New York: Longmans & Co., 1929) have been followed in this book. The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge the permission granted by the following to reprint extracts from:

Michael D. Reeve and Neil Wright (ed. and trans.),Geoffrey of Monmouth. The History of the Kings of Britain(Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2007). Reproduced by permission of Boydell and Brewer Ltd.