Paperback / softback | |
March 18, 2022 | |
9780813234359 | |
English | |
288 | |
8.50 Inches (US) | |
5.50 Inches (US) | |
.9 Pounds (US) | |
$29.95 USD | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Tales of a Minstrel of Reims in the Thirteenth Century
The minstrel was a professional story-teller, and his livelihood likely depended on his ability to captivate an audience. Beyond would-be objective reporting, the minstrel dramatizes events through dialogue, while he delves into the motives and intentions of important figures, and imparts traditional moral guidance. We follow the deeds of many prominent women and witness striking episodes in the lives of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionhearted, Blanche of Castile, Frederick the Great, Saladin, and others. These tales survive in several manuscripts, suggesting that they enjoyed significant success and popularity in their day.
Samuel N. Rosenberg produced this first scholarly translation of the Old French tales into English. References that might have been obvious to the minstrel's original audience are explained for the modern reader in the indispensable annotations of medieval historian Randall Todd Pippenger. The introduction by eminent medievalist William Chester Jordan places the minstrel's work in historical context and discusses the surviving manuscript sources.
About the Authors
Reviews
"Tales of a Minstrel, written by an anonymous minstrel in Reims around 1260, offers one of the liveliest contemporary accounts of French history from the days of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII up through the crusading efforts of St. Louis. Sometimes fanciful but always richly opinionated, the minstrel is particularly well informed about thirteenth-century events in northern France. This sparkling new translation from the French by the late Samuel N. Rosenberg is the first English version to do justice to the wit and verve of the text, while the introduction by William Chester Jordan and annotations by Randall Todd Pippenger provide modern readers with the context needed to appreciate the minstrel's perspective. The result is a wonderful new volume that will interest a wide twenty-first century audience."—Sean L. Field, University of Vermont
Paperback / softback | |
March 18, 2022 | |
9780813234359 | |
English | |
288 | |
8.50 Inches (US) | |
5.50 Inches (US) | |
.9 Pounds (US) | |
$29.95 USD | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles by William Chester Jordan
Men at the Center
Other Titles in HISTORY / Europe / Medieval
España Pontificia
The Sanctity of the Leaders
Piety in Practice