Medieval Translations and Cultural Discourse
Title Details

212 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

Imprint: D.S.Brewer

Medieval Translations and Cultural Discourse

The Movement of Texts in England, France and Scandinavia

by Sif Rikhardsdottir

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Author
  • Reviews
An examination of what the translation of medieval French texts into different European languages can reveal about the differences between cultures.

Throughout the Middle Ages, many Francophone texts - chansons de geste, medieval romance, works by Chrétien de Troyes and Marie de France - were widely translated in north-western Europe. In the process, these texts were frequently transformed to reflect the new cultures in which they appeared. This book argues that such translations, prime sites for cultural movement and encounters, provide a rich opportunity to study linguistic and cultural identity both in and through time. Via a close comparison of a number of these texts, examining the various modifications made, and drawing on a number of critical discourses ranging from post-colonial criticism to translation theory, the author explores the complexities of cultural dialogue and dissent. This approach both recognises and foregrounds the complex matrix of influence, resistance and transformations within the languages and cultural traditions of medieval Europe, revealing the undercurrents of cultural conflict apparent in medieval textuality.

Sif Rikhardsdottir is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Iceland and Vice-Chair of the Institute ofResearch in Literature and Visual Arts.
Introduction
The Imperial Implications of Medieval Translations: Textual Transmission of Marie de France's Lais
Behavioural Transformations in the Old Norse Version of La Chanson de Roland
Narrative Transformations in the Old Norse and Middle English Versions of Le Chevalier au Lion [or Yvain]
Female Sovereignty and Male Authority in the Old Norse and Middle English Versions of Partonopeu de Blois
Appendix: Summaries of the Versions of Partonopeu de Blois
Conclusion
Bibliography

Sif Rikhardsdottir is Professor and Chair of Comparative Literature at the University of Iceland.

"A ground-breaking model for the future of translation studies." MEDIUM AEVUM
"[T]his book offers models for further studies of adaptations from Old French narrative texts into Old Norse, Middle English, and other languages. For those in medieval French studies." FRENCH STUDIES
"[T]truly impressive in the range of its historical and geographic coverage." THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW
"[A] significant contribution to romance in a European context and an invitation to look over the traditional boundaries--linguistic, national and academic--of medieval studies. It will disappoint no one interested in the richness and complexity of medieval textual culture. THE MEDIEVAL" REVIEW
"[H]elps us to understand the relationship between writer, culture and story. [...] it covers terrain carefully and thoroughly and contain[s] many fascinating insights." BIBLIOBUFFET.COM

Hardcover

9781843842897

January 2012

Buy

£70.00 / $105.00

Shipping Options

Buy Ships within 2 business days

Buy

Purchasing options are not available in this country.

Paperback

9781843844945

April 2018

Buy

$36.95 / £24.99

Shipping Options

Buy Ships within 2 business days

Buy

Purchasing options are not available in this country.

Ebook (EPDF)

9781846158193

January 2012

Buy

£24.99 / $29.95

Title Details

212 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

Imprint: D.S.Brewer