IMC 2020: Sessions
Session 1522: The Limits of Gregory of Tours, I: Authorship and Narrative
Thursday 9 July 2020, 09.00-10.30
| Organiser: | Tamar Rotman, Department of General History, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Jamie Kreiner, Department of History, University of Georgia, Athens |
| Paper 1522-a | What's in a Genre?: The Fine Line between History and Hagiography in the Works of Gregory of Tours (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Hagiography, Historiography - Medieval |
| Paper 1522-b | The Boundaries of Liturgy in Gregory of Tours (Language: English) Index terms: Liturgy, Religious Life |
| Paper 1522-c | Gregory of Tours and the Border of Religious Belief and Rhetorical Praxis (Language: English) Index terms: Liturgy, Religious Life, Rhetoric |
| Abstract | The 6th-century Merovingian bishop and author, Gregory of Tours, is best known for his extensive corpus of writings, which scholars keep using for examining and reconstructing the histories of Merovingian Gaul. Following this year's theme of borders and boundaries, this strand shall discuss the limits of Gregory of Tours and examine him, his works, and period from various perspectives that emphasize different boundaries that help to reach a better and more complex understanding of Gregory of Tours. The opening session looks into the limits of Gregory as an author, historian, and bishop from three perspectives: the first paper examines the tension between historiography and hagiography in Gregory's narration of religious and secular history; the second paper focuses on some of the ways in which Gregory used liturgical vignettes in order to construct his narrative and convey his messages; the third paper explores whether or not it is possible to discern boundaries between religious belief and rhetorical strategy in the Decem Libri. |