The Politics of Language: Byrhtferth, Aelfric, and the Multilingual Identity of the Benedictine Reform

Author:   Rebecca Stephenson
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
ISBN:  

9781487547479


Pages:   232
Publication Date:   15 May 2022
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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The Politics of Language: Byrhtferth, Aelfric, and the Multilingual Identity of the Benedictine Reform


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Overview

Old English literature thrived in late tenth-century England. Its success was the result of a concerted effort by the leaders of the Benedictine Reform movement to encourage both widespread literacy and a simple literary style. The manuscripts written in this era are the source for the majority of the Old English literature that survives today, including literary classics such as Beowulf. Yet the same monks who copied and compiled these important Old English texts themselves wrote in a rarified Latin, full of esoteric vocabulary and convoluted syntax and almost incomprehensible even to the well-educated. Comparing works by the two most prolific authors of the era, Byrhtferth of Ramsey and Ælfric of Eynsham, Rebecca Stephenson explains the politics that encouraged the simultaneous development of a simple English style and an esoteric Latin style. By examining developments in Old English and Anglo-Latin side by side, The Politics of Language opens up a valuable new perspective on the Benedictine Reform and literacy in the late Anglo-Saxon period.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rebecca Stephenson
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781487547479


ISBN 10:   1487547471
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   15 May 2022
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Literary Context of the Monastic Reform Part One 1. Pedagogy of Enchiridion: Layout and Languages 2. Scapegoating the Secular Clergy: The Hermeneutic Style as a Form of Monastic Self-Definition 3. The Politics of English: Computus, Translation, and Monastic Self-Definition Part Two 4. The Politics of Ælfric’s Prefaces 5. Unraveling the Hermeneutic Style: Ælfric’s Latin Epitomes and English Translations Conclusion

Reviews

"""The Politics of Language is not only the first major study of Byrhtferth's language politics but also the first substantial work to look at Byrhtferth and �lfric together. Stephenson is very skilled in dismantling the claims regarding language made by both authors, analyzing why they were made and what the reality behind them may have been."" --Mary Clayton, Professor Emeritus, School of English, Drama, and Film, University College Dublin ""The Politics of Language teases out the rhetorical manoeuverings by which two key authors, Byrhtferth and �lfric, steered their way through the complex ideology of language-use in the Benedictine Reform. Stephenson's approach is firmly rooted in her own linguistic sensitivity, especially with regard to the Latin texts, and we understand the Benedictine Reform much better because of her research."" --Joyce Hill, Emeritus Professor of Medieval Literature, School of English, University of Leeds"


""The Politics of Language is not only the first major study of Byrhtferth's language politics but also the first substantial work to look at Byrhtferth and Ælfric together. Stephenson is very skilled in dismantling the claims regarding language made by both authors, analyzing why they were made and what the reality behind them may have been."" --Mary Clayton, Professor Emeritus, School of English, Drama, and Film, University College Dublin ""The Politics of Language teases out the rhetorical manoeuverings by which two key authors, Byrhtferth and Ælfric, steered their way through the complex ideology of language-use in the Benedictine Reform. Stephenson's approach is firmly rooted in her own linguistic sensitivity, especially with regard to the Latin texts, and we understand the Benedictine Reform much better because of her research."" --Joyce Hill, Emeritus Professor of Medieval Literature, School of English, University of Leeds


Author Information

Rebecca Stephenson is a Lecturer in Old and Middle English at University College Dublin.

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