Chivalric Fiction and the History of the Novel
- List Price: $59.95
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Univ Pr of Florida
- Publish date: 12/01/2000
In tracing the early history of the genre, Jewers focuses on its habits of self-consciousness and parody, and her analysis, unlike most studies grounded in a single national literature, illustrates the novel's development through several different vernacular traditions (French, Occitan, Catalan), with a brief consideration of Spanish literature. She combines a broad range of primary and secondary material with a mastery of contemporary theory, plus lucid and sensitive readings of individual passages.
By bringing to light the elements of continuity between medieval romance and the novel, Jewers bridges a long-standing gap between studies of early and later literatures. Her account will appeal to scholars and students of medieval narrative working in the western tradition as well as to those engaged in searching for the roots of the novel.