Magical Artifice and Artificial History in the 'Roman de Perceforest'


Type
Thesis
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Authors
Atkin, Timothy 
Abstract

The 'Roman de Perceforest' contains fascinating and original portrayals of magical artifice, which have intrigued scholars of Old French for many decades. It is also a peculiarly overt project of 'artificial' history, filling in a lacuna of Arthurian genealogy: King Perceforest's dynasty in pagan Britain. Under the umbrella of 'artifice', this thesis seeks to understand and explore the author's sense of his own artifice - that of writing a fictional history - through the text's portrayals of magical artifice, and artifice in other forms. Magic was a polemical topic in the late middle ages, and the matter of fiction appears similarly thought-provoking!

Description
Date
2021-05-01
Advisors
Huot, Sylvia
Keywords
Perceforest, Magic, Fiction, Old French, artifice
Qualification
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Awarding Institution
University of Cambridge
Sponsorship
AHRC (1233243)
AHRC
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