Up to the twelfth century writing in the western vernaculars dealt almost exclusively with religious, historical and factual themes, all of which were held to convey the truth. The second half of the twelfth century saw the emergence of a new genre, the romance, which was consciously conceived as fictional and therefore allowed largely to break free from traditional presuppositions. Dennis Green explores how and why this happened, and examines this period of crucial importance for the birth of the romance and the genesis of medieval fiction in the vernacular. Although the crucial innovative role of writers in Germany is Green's main concern, he also takes literature in Latin, French and Anglo-Norman into account. This study offers a definition of medieval fictionality in its first formative period in the twelfth century, and underlines the difficulties encountered in finding a place for the fictional romance within earlier literary traditions.

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The Beginnings of Medieval Romance: Fact and Fiction, 1150-1220

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Epic and Identity: Exploring Genre and Understanding the Self in the Middle High German 'Spielmannsepen'

This thesis examines the portrayal of zorn in Hartmann von Aue’s Erec and Iwein, and in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival. The opening chapter provides an insight into the meaning of zorn and examines the physical signs, symptoms, and symbols of anger, as well as its theological, moral, and social significance in the Middle Ages. Chapter 2 is devoted to the analysis of zorn in Erec, then in Iwein. Comparison of the two shows how Hartmann’s attitude to anger changes: whereas, in Erec, the hero’s anger can be seen in a positive light, in Iwein, anger is almost always problematic, particularly when associated with female characters. Chapter 3 examines zorn in Parzival under four main headings: the stories of Gahmuret, Parzival, Gawan, and the Narrator. Many of the issues surrounding zorn that surface in the main body of the work are foreshadowed in Books I and II. Anger is not a major issue for Gahmuret, who himself falls prey to a cycle of violence that can be seen to extend forward into the lifetime of his son. Whilst Parzival must learn to control his zorn and appreciate its proper use, Gawan is shown to be exemplary in this respect and to exhibit the qualities of patientia, restraint, and discretion essential to controlling zorn. The zorn of the narrator, which can be glimpsed at various points in the narrative, hints at Wolfram’s personal concern with this emotion, particularly in the context of minne. Finally, a comparison between the two authors shows that Hartmann’s focus is relatively narrow by comparison with

The portrayal of zorn in Hartmann von Aue's Arthurian Romances and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival

The aim of this chapter is to propose a working definition of fiction applicable to the romances written between about 1150 and 1220, making no claim to wider validity. Even so, some assistance will be sought from elsewhere (classical literature, modern philosophical theory) on the grounds that, although some aspects of fiction vary widely over time, others are common to different periods. To start by taking classical antiquity into brief account is not so irrelevant as it might seem. Plato's criticism of poetry was acceptable to early Christianity at odds with pagan literature and to early medieval thought dominated by Platonism before the relatively late reception of Aristotle, whose Poetics , although available to the Latin West only from the thirteenth century, provided arguments more favourable to fiction than those of Plato. Plato's criticism rests on the view that the poet is a mere imitator, dealing with appearances rather than with what is real and therefore presenting a lie instead of the truth. The basis of his argument is a radical distinction between poetry and philosophy, later adapted to Christian ends as one between poetry and theology. As Plato's myth of the cave makes clear, the poet resembles the prisoners who, facing backwards, see only the shadows cast by the fire, so that the product of the poet is twice removed from reality.

The Beginnings of Medieval Romance: Defining twelfth-century fictionality

The Beginnings of Medieval Romance: Vernacular fiction in the twelfth century

Der Erzahler im mittelhochdeutschen Epos: Formen seines Hervortretens bei Lamprecht, Konrad, Hartmann, in Wolframs Willehalm und in den 'Spielmannsepen'

Uwe Porksen

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Der Erzahler im mittelhochdeutschen Epos: Formen seines Hervortretens bei Lamprecht, Konrad, Hartmann, in Wolframs Willehalm und in den 'Spielmannsepen'