Imagining History in Medieval Britain

Imagining History in Medieval Britain explores the historical imagination through medieval and early modern writers and texts, from Christian historians such as Bede to secular chronicles; from Geoffrey of Monmouth and other romancers of history, to late medieval historical fiction by Chaucer and Malory. The book deliberately moves away from a chronological approach to assess the writing of history thematically. Chapters are designed to be comprehensive in mapping the major texts of medieval historical writing but are also intended to challenge current understandings by juxtaposing texts with themes which are informed by the postmodern sense of crisis in historical representation. The book frames its exploration of medieval history writing with reference to key thinkers of contemporary historiographical theory including Foucault, de Certeau, Collingwood and Hayden White. The book introduces students to the main currents of medieval history writing but also challenges the strictures imposed by the discipline of History as it has emerged since the eighteenth century. Sidebars will pose additional methodological and theoretical questions and each chapter will have suggestions for further reading.