Authoring the Past

History, Autobiography, and Politics in Medieval Catalonia

Nonfiction, History, Spain & Portugal, Medieval
Cover of the book Authoring the Past by Jaume Aurell, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jaume Aurell ISBN: 9780226032344
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: March 21, 2012
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Jaume Aurell
ISBN: 9780226032344
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: March 21, 2012
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

Authoring the Past surveys medieval Catalan historiography, shedding light on the emergence and evolution of historical writing and autobiography in the Middle Ages, on questions of authority and authorship, and on the links between history and politics during the period. Jaume Aurell examines texts from the late twelfth to the late fourteenth century—including the Latin Gesta comitum Barcinonensium and four texts in medieval Catalan: James I’s Llibre dels fets, the Crònica of Bernat Desclot, the Crònica of Ramon Muntaner, and the Crònica of Peter the Ceremonious—and outlines the different motivations for the writing of each. 

For Aurell, these chronicles are not mere archaeological artifacts but rather documents that speak to their writers’ specific contemporary social and political purposes. He argues that these Catalonian counts and Aragonese kings were attempting to use their role as authors to legitimize their monarchical status, their growing political and economic power, and their aggressive expansionist policies in the Mediterranean. By analyzing these texts alongside one another, Aurell demonstrates the shifting contexts in which chronicles were conceived, written, and read throughout the Middle Ages.

The first study of its kind to make medieval Catalonian writings available to English-speaking audiences, Authoring the Past will be of interest to scholars of history and comparative literature, students of Hispanic and Romance medieval studies, and medievalists who study the chronicle tradition in other languages.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Authoring the Past surveys medieval Catalan historiography, shedding light on the emergence and evolution of historical writing and autobiography in the Middle Ages, on questions of authority and authorship, and on the links between history and politics during the period. Jaume Aurell examines texts from the late twelfth to the late fourteenth century—including the Latin Gesta comitum Barcinonensium and four texts in medieval Catalan: James I’s Llibre dels fets, the Crònica of Bernat Desclot, the Crònica of Ramon Muntaner, and the Crònica of Peter the Ceremonious—and outlines the different motivations for the writing of each. 

For Aurell, these chronicles are not mere archaeological artifacts but rather documents that speak to their writers’ specific contemporary social and political purposes. He argues that these Catalonian counts and Aragonese kings were attempting to use their role as authors to legitimize their monarchical status, their growing political and economic power, and their aggressive expansionist policies in the Mediterranean. By analyzing these texts alongside one another, Aurell demonstrates the shifting contexts in which chronicles were conceived, written, and read throughout the Middle Ages.

The first study of its kind to make medieval Catalonian writings available to English-speaking audiences, Authoring the Past will be of interest to scholars of history and comparative literature, students of Hispanic and Romance medieval studies, and medievalists who study the chronicle tradition in other languages.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Hegel's Theory of Intelligibility by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Behold the Black Caiman by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Nightwork by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Puppet by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book The Sexuality of History by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book National Duties by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Making Marie Curie by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970 by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Displaying Death and Animating Life by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Selling Power by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Stung! by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book The Road to Serfdom by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Two Weeks in the Midday Sun by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book Measuring Entrepreneurial Businesses by Jaume Aurell
Cover of the book How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind by Jaume Aurell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy