Urban Panegyric and the Transformation of the Medieval City, 1100-1300
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Author Description
This study offers the first extensive analysis of the function and significance of urban panegyric in the Central Middle Ages, a flexible literary genre which enjoyed a marked and renewed popularity in the period 1100 to 1300. In doing so, it connects the production of urban panegyric to major underlying transformations in the medieval city and explores praise of cities primarily in England, Flanders, France, Germany, Iberia, and Italy (including the South and Sicily). The study demonstrates how laudatory ideas on the city appeared in extremely diverse textual formats which had the potential to interact with a wide audience via multiple textual and material sources.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This study investigates how the literary genre of urban panegyric functioned as a tool for reflecting and shaping the socio-political transformations of cities during the Central Middle Ages. Paul Oldfield, a lecturer in medieval history, utilizes a comparative approach to analyze how praise of cities evolved between 1100 and 1300. By examining diverse textual formats, the author argues that these laudatory works were not merely decorative but served as active participants in the civic identity and development of medieval urban centers across Europe.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of urban panegyric texts from England, Flanders, France, Germany, Iberia, and Italy.
- Examination of the intersection between literary production and urban growth.
- Investigation of various textual and material sources including chronicles, poems, and civic records.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the period between 1100 and 1300.
- It does not provide an exhaustive catalog of every extant panegyric text from the era.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of medieval urban identity and the role of rhetoric in civic life. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is tailored for researchers and students of medieval history.
Page Count:
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Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
019178723X
ISBN-13:
9780191787232
History
Literary Criticism
European History
Urban Studies