Vernacular Verse Histories in Early Medieval England and Francia: The Bard and the Rag-picker

Taranu's book explores how Germanic heroic poetry, such as Beowulf, Maldon, and the Waltharius, used oral verse traditions for various purposes, such as political propaganda, origin myths, and challenging paradigms. It aims to recover a part of the wide array of narrative poetic forms through which medieval communities made sense of their past and structured their socio-emotional experience.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 09 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In a daring interpretation of Germanic heroic poetry, Taranu explores the role of texts such as Beowulf, Maldon, and the Waltharius in alternative modes of history-writing that intertwined with a broader ecosystem of narrative forms. These modes embraced the concept of their participation in a tradition of oral verse, employing it for diverse purposes such as political propaganda, the construction of origin myths for early medieval nationhood, or the celebration of heroic masculinity. At times, they even challenged these established paradigms. The more intricate of these historical visions delved into the complexities of truthfulness and fictionality, while also undertaking sophisticated cultural and socio-emotional work for their audiences. By reexamining canonical categories of historiographical discourse within medieval textual productions, Vernacular Verse Histories in Early Medieval England and Francia: The Bard and the Rag-Picker seeks to reclaim a significant portion of the diverse range of narrative poetic forms employed by medieval communities to make sense of their past and shape their socio-emotional experiences.

In a daring interpretation of Germanic heroic poetry, Taranu explores the role of texts such as Beowulf, Maldon, and the Waltharius in alternative modes of history-writing that intertwined with a broader ecosystem of narrative forms. These modes embraced the concept of their participation in a tradition of oral verse, employing it for diverse purposes such as political propaganda, the construction of origin myths for early medieval nationhood, or the celebration of heroic masculinity. At times, they even challenged these established paradigms. The more intricate of these historical visions delved into the complexities of truthfulness and fictionality, while also undertaking sophisticated cultural and socio-emotional work for their audiences. By reexamining canonical categories of historiographical discourse within medieval textual productions, Vernacular Verse Histories in Early Medieval England and Francia: The Bard and the Rag-Picker seeks to reclaim a significant portion of the diverse range of narrative poetic forms employed by medieval communities to make sense of their past and shape their socio-emotional experiences.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 158 x 236 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367459710