This thesis explores the existence of Old English elegiac elements in Breton Lays from Medieval England. These Breton Lays include Marie de France's "Lanval" and "Chaitivel", as well as "Sir Orfeo"...Show moreThis thesis explores the existence of Old English elegiac elements in Breton Lays from Medieval England. These Breton Lays include Marie de France's "Lanval" and "Chaitivel", as well as "Sir Orfeo". The thesis examines the existence of elegiac elements in Old English poems, and refers to "The Wanderer", "The Seafarer" and "The Ruin" to delineate markers in Old English elegiac poems.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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This thesis traces the lexical influence of Ælfric of Eynsham (c. 955-c. 1010) in two twelfth-century English translations: Ralph d'Escures' homily on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and...Show moreThis thesis traces the lexical influence of Ælfric of Eynsham (c. 955-c. 1010) in two twelfth-century English translations: Ralph d'Escures' homily on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and Honorius Augustodunensis' Elucidarium.Show less
This thesis is a study of Early Modern German medical information in Early Sixteenth century London print culture. The study focusses on information transference from the Continent to the British...Show moreThis thesis is a study of Early Modern German medical information in Early Sixteenth century London print culture. The study focusses on information transference from the Continent to the British Isles.Show less
A study of the different versions of The Wife of Bath's Prologue that appeared in the most popular editions of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales from the sixteenth until the nineteenth century.
An edition of a devotional treatise on the seven deadly sins from Princeton University, Garrett MS 143, fols. 21v-26v. This treatise is yet unpublished.
Gawain was one of the most popular Arthurian figures in medieval literature, featuring in numerous texts both as a protagonist and as a supporting character. Scholars have studied Gawain’s...Show moreGawain was one of the most popular Arthurian figures in medieval literature, featuring in numerous texts both as a protagonist and as a supporting character. Scholars have studied Gawain’s reputation and representation in literature in detail, yet the significance of marriage or of the absence of marriage in Gawain romances has been overlooked. This thesis examines Gawain’s relationships with women and his attitude towards women and matrimony in medieval romances, studying his portrayal both as a lover and as a husband in a selection of thirteenth to sixteenth century French and English Arthurian romances. I use a new, interdisciplinary approach by applying the framework of New Historicism to the romances I examine, and by discussing the themes of marriage and love in light of the texts’ cultural and political backgrounds and literary sources. My claim that the English Gawain’s motives and behaviour are portrayed as more virtuous and courteous than the French Gawain’s, both in pre-marital and marital relationships, is supported by a careful close reading and analysis of The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Ywain and Gawain, De Coniuge Non Ducenda; and Le Chevaliers as Deus Espees, Le Chevalier à l'Épée, and La Mule Sans Frein. Gawain marries more often in the English romances in this corpus, for the purpose of preserving his courtesy, that of others, or to stabilise a conflict; while he is more frivolous and rarely marries in the French romances. The married state contradicts elements of Gawain’s traditional French and English characterisation and is therefore almost always an imbalance and a temporary state which authors must right in the romances’ denouements. Based on my findings and discussion, I conclude that the various uses of marriage in the romances’ plots and Gawain’s different portrayals as a husband reflect regional and national traditions, as the romances were tailored to ruling elites with different concerns and backgrounds. The use of the culturally charged theme of marriage in Arthurian romances allowed authors to infuse romances with symbolical meaning.Show less
This edition elaborately discusses the story and language of the "Tretys of Goostely Batayle" (as found in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, CCCC MS 142, ff. 111r–121r). It also...Show moreThis edition elaborately discusses the story and language of the "Tretys of Goostely Batayle" (as found in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, CCCC MS 142, ff. 111r–121r). It also contains many notes explaining names, concepts, and quotations found in the text, as well as a glossary aiding the reader in understanding the text.Show less
An edition of a treatise on the Ten Commandments, based on the fourth text in Princeton (NJ), University Library, Garrett 143, fols. 29v-34r; a yet unedited and unpublished text. This edition aims...Show moreAn edition of a treatise on the Ten Commandments, based on the fourth text in Princeton (NJ), University Library, Garrett 143, fols. 29v-34r; a yet unedited and unpublished text. This edition aims to provide a handbook to the text, discussing history, genre, structure, script, but also orthography, morphology, and dialect; as well as containing a full glossary and a diplomatic edition of the text.Show less
The portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the...Show moreThe portrayal of women has undergone dramatic change from the Middle English Romance to the Disney films featuring princess. While women in Middle English romances could never be the hero, in the newest Disney films they can be the hero. Although the Middle English romances "Sir Launfal" and "Sir Gowther", the fairytale "Snow White" and the Disney films "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Brave" share several motifs and themes like courtly love and chivalry, there has been a shift concerning their portrayal of women. It can be concluded that the portrayal of women in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is in line with its direct predecessor, Snow White, as well as with the medieval romances “Sir Launfal” and “Sir Gowther”. The female characters in these tales are described in a rather passive way. Brave, on the other hand, presents Merida in an active way and, therefore, breaks with the ‘anti-feminist’ tradition. This newest film has become in favour of women who take control over their own future by pursuing their dreams.Show less
This thesis looks into eroticism in religious devotional literature written in England during the later Middle Ages. From a modern perspective, the seemingly highly erotic nature of the language...Show moreThis thesis looks into eroticism in religious devotional literature written in England during the later Middle Ages. From a modern perspective, the seemingly highly erotic nature of the language employed in these religious texts would be regarded as highly inappropriate, as would the striking similarity between the language of the two groups of literature. The main question this thesis is concerned with is whether the nature of the religious devotional literature is influenced by secular love lyrics or whether there is some other factor that influenced the nature of religious devotional writing in the Middle Ages. In order to answer the main question, this thesis contains a contextualized analysis of several secular love lyrics and religious devotional texts.Show less
