Creation, Migration, and Conquest: Imaginary Geography and Sense of Space in Old English Literature

by Fabienne Michelet

Overview

Creation, Migration, and Conquest: Imaginary Geography and Sense of Space in Old English Literature explores the Anglo-Saxons' spatial imaginaire; tracing its political, literary, and intellectual backgrounds and analyzing how this imaginaire shapes perceptions and representations of geographical space. The book elaborates new interpretative paradigms, drawing on the work of continental scholars and literary critics, and on complementing interdisciplinary scholarship of medieval imaginary spaces and their representations. It gathers evidence from both Old English verse and historico-geographical documents, and focuses on the juncture between traditional scientific learning and the symbolic values attributed to space and orientation. Combining close reading with an original theoretical model, Creation, Migration, and Conquest offers innovative interpretations of celebrated texts and highlights the links between place, identity, and collective identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199286713
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/10/2006
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

After completing her licence at the University of Geneva, Fabienne Michelet studied at the Vatican Library in Rome, and in Oxford, where she took a Master of Philosophy in 'English Studies until 1100'. She did her doctorate at the University of Geneva, specializing in Old English literature. She is presently teaching medieval English literature both at the University of Geneva and at the University of Lausanne. Her research focuses primarily on Old English literature, exploring questions of space, place and geography.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: An Outline of the Anglo-Saxons' Sense of SpaceSection I: 'Creation'2. Ordering the World: Creation Narratives and Spatial Control3. The Centres of Beowulf: A Complex Spatial Order4. Localization and Remapping: Creating a New Centrality for Anglo-Saxon EnglandSection II: 'Migration'5. Integrating New Spaces: Saints' Lives and Missions of Conversion6. Searching for Land: Scriptural Poetry and MigrationSection III: 'Conquest'7. The Descriptiones Britanniae and the Adventus Saxonum: Narrative Strategies for the Conquest of Britain

Editorial Reviews

"The texts chosen are perceptively handled, and over the course of the book a compelling picture is built up of representations of a distinctive spatial imaginaire"—Hugh Magennis, College Literature

From the Publisher