Enchanted Reception : Religion and the Supernatural in Medieval Troy Narratives

Abstract

This volume offers a series of cross-cultural, in-depth studies of twelfth- to fifteenth-century medieval Troy narratives, mainly romances. Source texts are situated across a wide range of language traditions and include famous literary highlights (e.g. Benoît, Guido, Tzetzes and Eustathios) as well as lesser-known work (e.g. the Irish tradition) and expert comparative analyses within the same language traditions (e.g. Middle English, German). With a unique synchronical focus, it highlights the classical reception of religious and supernatural elements, events and characters in the Middle Ages, embedded in the contemporary socio-cultural (notably Christian-political) ideological context. The volume subscribes to the transnational perspective that has long since proven its relevance for medieval studies and actively builds bridges between the ‘eastern’ Byzantine and ‘western’ vernacular traditions, which on a scholarly level are often still segregated.