Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England
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Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England by Mechthild Gretsch
The literature of Anglo-Saxon England is unique among contemporary European literatures in that it features a vast amount of saints' lives in the vernacular. This study analyzes the most important author Aelfric's lives of five important saints in the light of their cults in Anglo-Saxon England, providing the reader fascinating glimpses of 'Aelfric at work'. He adapts the cults and rewrites the received Latin hagiography so that each of their lives conveys a distinct message to the contemporary political elite as well as to a lay audience at large.
From the hard back review: 'This saintly biographer wrote with a purpose … Gretsch has done much to show in detail how a refashioning of images of holiness engaged the creative talents of one of the most important vernacular writers of the early Middle Ages' Church Times
From the hardback review: 'Among the many strengths of this carefully written monograph are Gretsch's efforts to contextualise Aelfric's adaptations of his sources in relation to the English Benedictine reform movement, led by Bishop Aethelwold during the reign of King Edgar, and the military crisis of the reign of Aethelred … it provides a rightly informative and insightful introduction to Aelfric's hagiographic oeuvre and his methods of composition, and will surely constitute an important model for further work on this prolific early medieval author.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History
From the hardback review: '… this is a wide-ranging and fascinating study, adding significantly to our understanding of Aelfric's achievement, and also, on the way, to his context within the Benedictine Reform of the later tenth century.' The Glass
'Gretsch's study of AElfric and the cult of saints offers a fascinating insight not only into AElfric's technique as a hagiographer, but also his place in the development and evolution of saints' cults and attendant hagiographies in Anglo-Saxon England. While this book is certainly concerned with AElfric, it is concerned with much more.' Medium Aevum
From the hardback review: 'Among the many strengths of this carefully written monograph are Gretsch's efforts to contextualise Aelfric's adaptations of his sources in relation to the English Benedictine reform movement, led by Bishop Aethelwold during the reign of King Edgar, and the military crisis of the reign of Aethelred … it provides a rightly informative and insightful introduction to Aelfric's hagiographic oeuvre and his methods of composition, and will surely constitute an important model for further work on this prolific early medieval author.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History
From the hardback review: '… this is a wide-ranging and fascinating study, adding significantly to our understanding of Aelfric's achievement, and also, on the way, to his context within the Benedictine Reform of the later tenth century.' The Glass
'Gretsch's study of AElfric and the cult of saints offers a fascinating insight not only into AElfric's technique as a hagiographer, but also his place in the development and evolution of saints' cults and attendant hagiographies in Anglo-Saxon England. While this book is certainly concerned with AElfric, it is concerned with much more.' Medium Aevum
Mechthild Gretsch is Professor in the Department of English at Gottingen University. Her previous books include The Intellectual Foundations of the English Benedictine Reform (also in the Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England series, 1999), and she has published articles in various English and German journals, including Anglo-Saxon England.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521855419 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521855411 |
| Title | Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England |
| Author | Mechthild Gretsch |
| Series | Cambridge Studies In Anglo-Saxon England |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2006-01-19 |
| Number of pages | 276 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |