Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wales
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Dept. of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard Univ.
Organizer Name
Georgia Henley
Organizer Affiliation
Harvard Univ.
Presider Name
Georgia Henley
Paper Title 1
Classical Rhetoric and "British" Nationalism in the Historia regum Britanniae
Presenter 1 Name
Victoria Shirley
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Cardiff Univ.
Paper Title 2
Prologues to the Brut y Brenhinedd
Presenter 2 Name
Jacqueline M. Burek
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Pennsylvania
Paper Title 3
Geoffrey’s Vita Merlini and Welsh Prophecy
Presenter 3 Name
Michael Faletra
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Reed College
Start Date
14-5-2016 10:00 AM
Session Location
Bernhard 213
Description
Geoffrey of Monmouth has long been heralded for his efforts to construct a legendary history of the Britons, from the fall of Troy to the passage of dominion of Britain to the Anglo-Saxons, in his Historia regum Britanniae, “History of the Kings of Britain.” His political allegiances and motivations for writing, however, remain obscure, perhaps due to a lack of survival of definitive written opinions, or because he wished them to remain so. His surviving works are therefore subject to a great deal of critical interpretation, as scholars apply different readings to the texts in search of pro-Norman, pro-Welsh, anti-English, or ambivalent stances within his writings. This session focuses on his much overlooked relationship to Wales, the country in which his main patron resided, along with the descendants of his history’s protagonists—the Britons. By taking a closer look at Geoffrey’s relationship with Wales, and his immediate reception in Wales, it is possible that more can be gleaned about his own predilections than has previously been possible. This session welcomes papers considering Geoffrey’s ties to Wales, his patrons, his usage of Welsh source material, both oral and written, and the early reception of his work in Wales and the Welsh vernacular. It is thus open to source study, contemporary interpretations of his work, and reception, spanning the past, present, and future of Geoffrey’s work. This session hopes to shed light on the intentions of this very important writer who fundamentally shaped not only the Arthurian canon but also the Welsh and English understanding of history, historical writing, and their shared legendary past.
Georgia Henley
Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wales
Bernhard 213
Geoffrey of Monmouth has long been heralded for his efforts to construct a legendary history of the Britons, from the fall of Troy to the passage of dominion of Britain to the Anglo-Saxons, in his Historia regum Britanniae, “History of the Kings of Britain.” His political allegiances and motivations for writing, however, remain obscure, perhaps due to a lack of survival of definitive written opinions, or because he wished them to remain so. His surviving works are therefore subject to a great deal of critical interpretation, as scholars apply different readings to the texts in search of pro-Norman, pro-Welsh, anti-English, or ambivalent stances within his writings. This session focuses on his much overlooked relationship to Wales, the country in which his main patron resided, along with the descendants of his history’s protagonists—the Britons. By taking a closer look at Geoffrey’s relationship with Wales, and his immediate reception in Wales, it is possible that more can be gleaned about his own predilections than has previously been possible. This session welcomes papers considering Geoffrey’s ties to Wales, his patrons, his usage of Welsh source material, both oral and written, and the early reception of his work in Wales and the Welsh vernacular. It is thus open to source study, contemporary interpretations of his work, and reception, spanning the past, present, and future of Geoffrey’s work. This session hopes to shed light on the intentions of this very important writer who fundamentally shaped not only the Arthurian canon but also the Welsh and English understanding of history, historical writing, and their shared legendary past.
Georgia Henley