Overview
- Casts new light on the iconic story of Samson and Delilah through the lens of translation and adaptation studies
- Offers a multidisciplinary discussion, appealing to cultural historians, art historians, musicologists, biblical scholars, literary scholars and general historians
- Presents an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to Samson and Delilah, examining how its reception is an entry point into larger discussions about the Middle Ages
Part of the book series: The New Middle Ages (TNMA)
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Table of contents (4 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
Samson and Delilah in Medieval Insular French investigates several different adaptations of the story of Samson that enabled it to move from a strictly religious sphere into vernacular and secular artworks. Catherine Léglu explores the narrative’s translation into French in medieval England, examining the multiple versions of the Samson narrative via its many adaptations into verse, prose, visual art and musical. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, this text draws together examples from several genres and media, focusing on the importance of book learning to secular works. In analysing this Biblical narrative, Léglu reveals the importance of the Samson and Delilah story as a point of entry into a fuller understanding of medieval translations and adaptations of the Bible.
Reviews
“This monograph will prove of interest to medievalists in a variety of disciplines and should be accessible to advanced graduate students. Its greatest strength is its interdisciplinarity, for it deftly connects textual studies, monastic culture, art history, and medievalism … . this volume will open the modern reader to the full complexity of the reception—re-creation cycle that is so emblematic of medieval Europe.” (Christopher Callahan, Speculum, Vol. 95 (2), 2020)
“This book shows the great potential of a detailed case study to illuminate much wider questions and debates. Fascinating in its interdisciplinary attention to writing, art, music, and oral culture, Leglu’s book demonstrates how a single biblical story can move through medieval culture as both mythic archetype and an endlessly adaptable point of conflict and reinterpretation. The wider resonances of this tightly-focused investigation offer valuable insights which reach far beyond the texts themselves.” (Laura Ashe, Associate Professor of English, University of Oxford, UK)Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Catherine Léglu is Professor of Medieval French and Occitan Literature at the University of Reading, UK. She has held posts at the Queen’s University, Belfast, and at Bristol University. She is the author of Multilingualism and Mother Tongue in Medieval French, Occitan and Catalan Narratives (2010).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Samson and Delilah in Medieval Insular French
Book Subtitle: Translation and Adaptation
Authors: Catherine Léglu
Series Title: The New Middle Ages
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90638-6
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-90637-9Published: 10 September 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-90638-6Published: 24 August 2018
Series ISSN: 2945-5936
Series E-ISSN: 2945-5944
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 126
Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations
Topics: Medieval Literature, European Literature, Translation Studies