Authors, Factions, and Courts in Angevin England: A Literature of Personal Ambition (12th–13th Century)

The book "Authors, Factions, and Courts in Angevin England: A Literature of Personal Ambition (12th-13th Century)" challenges the top-down model of political patronage and suggests that authors were often representative of local groups' interests, targeting specific political factions in the changeable political scenario of Angevin England. It aims to model a heuristic process applicable to other courtly texts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 270 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

Authors, Factions, and Courts in Angevin England: A Literature of Personal Ambition (12th-13th Century) presents a novel approach to the historical study of courtly literature by highlighting the personal aspirations, networks, and careers as the driving force behind much of the period's writing. The book examines two authors, Gerald of Wales and Walter Map, to demonstrate how they not only crafted their own narratives but also employed popular narratives and propaganda techniques to advance their own personal objectives. The study seeks to challenge the prevailing top-down model of political patronage, where patrons, particularly royal patrons, set the cultural agenda and influence literary tastes. Instead, Fabrizio De Falco contends that authors often represented diverse interests expressed by local groups. To pursue these interests, they aligned themselves with specific political factions within the ever-changing political landscape of Angevin England. Their texts reveal a multifaceted perspective on cultural production and its reception. The study aims to establish a heuristic process that can be applied to other courtly texts beyond the selected case studies.

Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031433511
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023