| Paper 1143-a | On Deer, Moors, Chests, and Beheadings: Early Arthurian Literature in Castilian
(Language: English)
Carlos A. Sanz Mingo, School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University
Index terms: Language and Literature - Spanish or Portuguese, Medievalism and Antiquarianism |
|---|
| Paper 1143-c | Didactics and Ethics in Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar and Parcevals saga and the Influence of Continental Ethics on the Courtly Literature of 13th-Century Norway
(Language: English)
Roderick McDonald, Centre for the Study of the Viking Age, University of Nottingham / Modern Languages Training Centre, University of Sheffield
Index terms: Education, Language and Literature - Comparative, Language and Literature - Scandinavian |
|---|
| Abstract | Paper -a:
Arthurian Literature entered Spain though different ways. Although the main one was through the Occitan language and into Cataluña, some texts, like the medieval best-seller Historia Regum Britanniae, by Geoffrey of Monmouth found its way into Spain thanks to the marriage of one of the daughters of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to a Castilian King. From then on, different texts on the Arthurian legend were written in which the way the other is depicted show societal, religious, or other biases.
Paper -b:
Claims within the discipline of castle studies are suggestive of romance literature as being influential on late medieval English castles. This paper, based on the author's ongoing PhD, reassesses these claims and explores various ways in which romance literature may have influenced castles of this period. Rather than locating direct blueprints for castles within the romances, this research aims to display aristocratic implementation of literary themes into architectural schemes and designs for purposes such as political propaganda or self-association. This multi-faceted approach also explores courtly space and the medieval re-shaping of chivalry into a conduit for living a romantic lifestyle.
Paper -c:
Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar and Parcevals saga were both translated from French sources as part of a 'programme' of courtly cultural improvement under King Hákon IV of Norway, and in both can be seen the influence of late 12th- and early 13th-century Parisian cathedral school ethical teachings that were influential in the development of courtly behaviours across northern Europe. However, their didactic approaches appear to diverge significantly. While the former contains clear references to the medieval curriculum of the seven liberal arts, the latter seems devoid of such references. Instead, Parcevals saga approaches the chivalric education in a different way.
This paper focuses on Parcevals saga, exploring the ways in which this saga represents the education of a young man, incorporating both exemplary and didactic material. I compare differences from the French original, and look at the semantics of Norse lexis that indicates ways the French courtly literature has been modified to suit Norwegian courtly needs. I also consider possible implications in the apparent absence of the liberal arts in Parceval's curriculum, and wider implications for the adoption of chivalric ethics and behaviours in the courts of Hákon IV and his son Magnus VI.
|
|---|
