Short description:

Medieval Literature: An Introduction to Type-Scenes is the first book-length exploration of the type-scenes of western medieval literature from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, spanning both the Latinate and Germanic traditions. 

Long description:

This is the first book-length exploration of the type-scenes of western medieval literature from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, spanning both the Latinate and Germanic traditions. Type-scenes are the recurring, stock scenes comprising the basic structure and cognitive guidance for narrative. These formulaic scenes enabled medieval poets to express originality while honoring tradition. Central to medieval poetic invention, type-scenes form the vital ?internal organs? of narrative, each serving a specialized function while working in concert with other organs to create and sustain the story. This accessible and engaging guide to medieval type-scenes consists of three parts: Part I is a compendium of the type-scenes commonly found in medieval narrative, including analyses of examples from individual poems. Part II explores combinations of type-scenes within single works of literature for purposes of chronology, characterization, or virtuosity. Part III examines how a single type-scene manifests across multiple poems, adapting to a variety of settings and periods, while maintaining its original intent. This volume kindles in scholars, teachers, and students alike a new and refreshing awareness of the foundational narrative strategies of medieval literature.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part One:  A Compendium of Type-Scenes of Medieval Literature

          Arming of the Hero

          Beasts of Battle

          Blason

          Catalog of Warriors

          Conciliar Debate     

          Contending Throng

          Council of the Gods

          Crowd of Onlookers

          Dawn Song  

          Ekphrasis

          Epic Descent

          Descent into the Underworld (katabasis)

          Disguise and Infiltration

          Exile

          Flyting

          Hero on the Beach

          Inventio

          Joy in the Hall

          Lady with the Mead Cup

          Loathly Lady Encounter

          Locus Amoenus

          Magic Ring

          Open Heavens

          Outlaw Gathering   

          Paraclausithyron

          Rash Promise

          Scop?s Repertoire

          Sleeping After the Feast

          Teichoscopia

          Traveler Recognizes His Goal

          Wise Woman

Part Two:  Type-Scenes Sequences within Single Works

          I:  Sequencing for Chronology:  Boccaccio?s Use of Epic Type-Scenes

in the Teseida.

II:  Sequencing for Characterization:  Anglo-Saxon as Other in the

Middle English Athelston

III: Sequencing for Virtuosity:  The ?Sleeping After the Feast? Type-Scene

in Beowulf

Part Three:  One Type-Scene in Three Different Works:  Medieval Cultural Profiling: The

?Wise Woman? Type-Scene in Middle English Romance