literature Archives

Coherence and communication in medieval French literature cover

Narrating nationalism in the oldest surviving major piece of French literature

On April 4, 2022 By Isobel Cree In Curiosity Columns, New

Isobel Cree examines early medieval nationalism in La Chanson de Roland, one of the oldest surviving works of French literature.

Middlebrow Highs #2: Barbara Pym – The Drama of the Prosaic

On February 15, 2022 By Seán Gibbons In Curiosity Columns, New

Seán Gibbons discusses the work of Barbara Pym in his column Middlebrow Highs.

Coherence and Communication in Medieval French Literature: Narrative distortion in the Vulgate Cycle

On February 7, 2022 By Isobel Cree In Curiosity Columns, New

The Vulgate Cycle is the first French Arthurian cycle in prose (c. 1215-35). A cycle is a series of texts about common characters, who are generally adapted from myth or history. I chose the cycle’s …

A painting of a teacup with accompanying text "middlebrow highs" and "Seán Gibbons"

Middlebrow Highs: a column introduction

On December 2, 2021 By Seán Gibbons In Curiosity Columns, New

Seán Gibbons introduces us to the first instalment of his column, Middlebrow Highs, discussing the work of 20th century ‘middlebrow’ writers.

How the BBC’s ‘Hemingway’ exemplifies the contribution biographical study can make to history

On August 9, 2021 By Glenn Armstrong In Page and Screen

Glenn Armstrong reviews the BBC’s ‘Hemingway’, examining the life of the famous author through the lens of biographical history.