The faces of time
Subtitle: portrayal of the past in Old French and Latin historical narrative of the Anglo-Norman regnum
By: Jean Blacker.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Austin, TX
Language: eng
Number of pages: 263
Subjects: Latin prose literature, Medieval and modern -- History and criticism.; Narrative poetry, French -- History and criticism.; French poetry -- To 1500 -- History and criticism.; Normans -- Great Britain -- Historiography.; Narration (Rhetoric); Rhetoric, Medieval.; Great Britain -- History -- Norman period, 1066-1154 -- Historiography.
Description: The Twelfth Century witnessed the sudden appearance and virtual disappearance of an important literary genre - the Old French verse chronicle. These poetic histories of the British kings, which today are treated as fiction, were written contemporaneously with Latin prose narratives, which are regarded as historical accounts. In this pathfinding study, however, Jean Blacker asserts that twelfth-century authors and readers viewed both genres as factual history.

This exploration reveals remarkable similarity among the texts, including their idealization of historical and even legendary figures, such as King Arthur. It opens fruitful lines of inquiry into the role these writers played in the creation of the Anglo-Norman regnum and suggests that the Old French verse chronicles filled political, psychic, and aesthetic needs unaddressed by Latin historical writing of the period.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-252) and index.
Based on the author's thesis, University of California at Berkeley.