Matter of Kings' Lives : The Design of Past and Present in the Early Fourteenth-century Verse Chronicles by Pierre De Langtoft and Robert Mannyng

Summerfield, Thea

ISBN 10: 9042003448 / ISBN 13: 9789042003446

Published by Brill, 1997

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 51856284

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Matter of Kings' Lives : The Design of Past and Present in the Early Fourteenth-century Verse Chronicles by Pierre De Langtoft and Robert Mannyng
• Publisher: Brill
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9042003448
• ISBN 13: 9789042003446
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

The rhymed chronicles by Pierre de Langtoft and Robert Mannyng, written between c.1305 and 1338, form a unique pair in the history of English literature and historiography. Both were written in the North of England, both deal with the history of the kings of England from Brutus to the death of Edward I in July 1307. Yet the differences between them are significant. Langtoft wrote in Anglo-Norman with a specific purpose and a specific audience in mind. Robert Mannyng translated a large part of Langtoft's work into English for a very different kind of audience. Although he stayed close to his source-text in many places, his deviations offer insights into the way the English clergy and the public they addressed viewed themselves, their history and their future.
The Matter of Kings' Lives is of interest to social and political historians, especially those interested in the reign of Edward I and Anglo-Scottish relations, and to literary historians who may find that these works have more to offer than has hitherto been realized.