Glamorous Sorcery: Magic and Literacy in the High Middle Ages (Volume 25) (Medieval Cultures)

Rollo's highly specialised analysis examines the spread of literacy and the relationship between vernacular and latin literature in 12th-century Europe. He focuses on how secular and clerical writers used magic as a metaphor for writing and examines the literary devices and works of William of Malmesbury, Geoffrey of Monmouth, John of Salisbury, William Fitzstephen, Richard FitzNigel, Benôit de Sainte-Maure and Gerald of Wales. Extracts include English translations.

David Rollo is associate professor of English, with a joint appointment in the Department of French and Italian, at the University of Southern California. He is the author of two books, most recently of Glamorous Sorcery: Magic and Literacy in the High Middle Ages.