Naming and Namelessness in Medieval Romance

by Jane Bliss

A survey of the significance of names, or their absence, in medieval English, French, and Anglo-Norman romance.

Naming and namelessness are among the major themes of medieval romance. Because the genre is so difficult to define, scholars have viewed romance as containing a critical number of themes; this book treats naming as a major themeof romance, and furthermore examines romance's relationship with contemporary naming-theory. A new genre, it is able to play with naming in a way that previously established genres are not.
The book begins with a discussion of the medieval background to romance, and explores a series of naming-patterns found across a broad range of texts. It continues with detailed analysis of twenty-one romances in English, French, and Anglo-Norman, from 1130 to 1500], to show how naming-themes are treated differently in each, and to demonstrate the importance of name as a generic marker. Finally, an appendix provides details of each romance's context, together with indications for further research.

JANE BLISS is an independent scholar; she gained her PhD from Oxford Brookes University.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1843841592
• ISBN13: 9781843841593
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"