The Medieval Tradition of Thebes: History and Narrative in the Roman de Thebes, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and Lydgate

by Battles,Dominique

• ISBN13: 9780415969932
• ISBN10: 041596993X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-05-06
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

As the story of the war between the sons of Oedipus and their cursed race, the Theban legend rivaled that of Troy in popularity and importance for medieval poets and audiences. Dominique Battles explores the vernacular Theban narratives of the Middle Ages, including the Old French "Roman de Thebes" (1154), Boccaccio's "Teseida," Chaucer's Theban poems ("Anelida and Arcite" (1370s), the "Knights Tale," and the Theban subtext of the "Troilus" (1380s)), and John Lydgate's "Siege of Thebes" (1422). "The Medieval Tradition of Thebes" constitutes the first comprehensive study of the classical legend of Thebes in the Middle Ages. Far from representing a single consistent legend, the story of the civil war between Eteocles and Polynices took on a variety of forms and purposes, each of which presents its own historical paradigm. By tracing the relationship between these texts, Battles demonstrates how each succeeding adaptation of Thebes builds upon and challenges those before it.

Table of Contents

LIST OF CREDITS	ix
SERIES EDITOR'S FOREWORD	xi
PREFACE	xiii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xix
INTRODUCTION Statius in the Middle Ages	1	(18)
Statius as Ancient Authority	2	(2)
Statius and Medieval Vernacular Poetics	4	(2)
Statius as Moral Authority	6	(6)
Statius as Literary Role Model	12	(7)
CHAPTER ONE The OF Roman de Thebes: The Ancients vs. the Moderns	19	(42)
Medieval Present and Classical Past	21	(3)
The Thèbes and the Crusades	24	(2)
Theban Infidels and Greek Crusaders	26	(4)
Closing Ranks at Montflor	30	(2)
Famine and Foraging as a Crusade Theme	32	(2)
Daire le Roux and the Pious Traitor	34	(3)
The Gods and False Belief	37	(8)
Thebes and Troy	45	(4)
The "Greeks" vs. the Thebans	49	(2)
The Trojan Landscape of the Thebes	51	(1)
Trojan Battle Tactic on the Theban Plain	52	(3)
The Thèbes and Norman Identity	55	(6)
CHAPTER TWO Boccaccio's Teseida and the Destruction of Troy	61	(24)
Scythia as a Preview for Troy	65	(4)
The Catalog of Trojan Warriors	69	(2)
Helen as Absent Presence	71	(2)
The Ruins of Thebes and Troy	73	(3)
Boccaccio's Use of the Epic Type-Scenes	76	(9)
CHAPTER THREE Restoring Thebes: Chaucer's Theban Poems	85	(30)
Chaucer and the Teseida	87	(4)
Boccaccio's Redemption of the Theban Character	91	(2)
The Anelida and the Return to Thebes	93	(4)
The Knights Tale, the Teseida, and the Theban Character	97	(12)
Restoring the City of Thebes	109	(3)
Conclusion	112	(3)
CHAPTER FOUR Faulty Connections: The Theban Context of the Troilus	115	(30)
Criseyde and the Conditions of Reading History	119	(4)
Criseyde's Lineage: Missing Theban Links	123	(4)
Theban-Trojan Character Comparisons: Misreading Theban History	127	(6)
Cassandra: History in the Making	133	(8)
Conclusion	141	(4)
CHAPTER FIVE John Lydgate's Siege of Thebes: Breaking the Theban Curse	145	(30)
The Siege and the Mirror for Princes Genre	145	(4)
The Siege and the Prose Redactions of the Roman de Thèbes	149	(3)
Lydgate's Revision of Theban Genealogy	152	(6)
Redeeming Edippus	158	(4)
Reassessing Theban Sin	162	(4)
Reassessing "Greek" Virtue	166	(1)
Bad Blood vs. Original Sin	167	(2)
Lydgate's Siege and Chaucer's Knight's Tale	169	(4)
Conclusion	173	(2)
CONCLUSION	175	(6)
NOTES	181	(38)
BIBLIOGRAPHY	219	(12)
INDEX	231