An Introduction to Jean Bodel (New Perspectives on Medieval Literature: Authors and Traditions) - Hardcover

Lynn T. Ramey (author)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813079020 ISBN 13: 9780813079028

Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2024

Synopsis

Bringing the work of a highly influential medieval French writer to English-speaking audiences for the first time

This book explores the life and works of Jean Bodel, an influential author who lived in twelfth-century Arras, France. A versatile poet, playwright, and epic writer who established new genres such as fabliaux and the mystery play, Bodel remains relatively unknown to Anglophone audiences.

Lynn Ramey offers translations and summaries of works never published before in English while delving into Bodel’s historical and cultural context.

After a brief introduction to the poet, Ramey highlights the stimulating and cosmopolitan environment of Arras, considering the influence of the Crusades and social movements in shaping Bodel’s works. Next, Ramey provides an extensive survey of all of Bodel’s known writing across his prolific career by genre, from his most well-known work, The Play of Saint Nicholas (Le Jeu de Saint Nicolas), to his final piece, Farewell (Les Congés), which offers important insight into his diagnosis of leprosy toward the end of his life. Ramey translates several pieces including pastourelles, fabliaux, and selections from the Song of the Saxons (Chanson de Saisnes). The book also includes information on Bodel’s sources, a chronology, and a glossary.

With much of the existing scholarship on Bodel only available in French, this book bridges a gap in knowledge of the poet and serves as a useful resource for both students and specialists. An Introduction to Jean Bodel allows a broader audience to engage with the writer’s wide-ranging work and contributions to literary history.

A volume in the series New Perspectives on Medieval Literature: Authors and Traditions, edited by R. Barton Palmer and Tison Pugh

About this title

About the Author

Lynn T. Ramey professor of French and cinema and media arts at Vanderbilt University, is the author of Black Legacies: Race and the European Middle Ages

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813079020
• ISBN 13: 9780813079028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192