The Narreme In The Medieval Romance Epic

In this study Professor Dorfman applies the methods of modern linguistics to literary analysis. Literature may be described as the structured use of language: the modern linguistic analyzes language in a search for the minimal units of sound and form, phoneme and morpheme, and determines the combinations by which they can communicate meaning. The author here searches for a minimal structural unit in the literary narrative analogous to the phoneme and the morpheme in language structure. Based on a detailed analysis of the Roland and the Cid and twelve additional Romance narratives, Professor Dorfman's argument is that the structure of the medieval Romance epics may be analyzed into functional units which he calls "narremes." He divides a narrative into two types of structure: the superstructure and the substructure. A narrative, by definition, is a series of incidents. All the incidents in the narrative, taken as written, form the superstructure. Analysis, however, shows that many of the incidents may be abstracted from the narrative without deflecting the story-line. On the other hand, other incidents reveal themselves as organically linked with each other, so they cannot be omitted, without destroying the story-line. These selected incidents are the narremes, which make up the substructure of the narrative. This method of analysis produces so interesting and surprising results, results which make an important advance in research in linguistics and Romance literature. Eugene Dorfman, as an orthodox structuralist, has focused strictly on the formal descriptions of the narratives; but his analysis leads into the great traditional problems of literary history, and in particular poses anew the problem of the origins of the epic.

The biblical (and qur'anic) story of Joseph was an important element of the cultural heritage shared by Jews, Muslims and Christians in medieval Spain. The great themes that legend embodies - sibling rivalry resulting in betrayal, revenge, and ultimate reconciliation; the triumph of honor and chastity over sexual temptation; and the Cinderella-like rise of a member of a despised minority to a position of almost unimaginable power and influence - led all three groups to cherish the story. The story of Joseph offers us a unique opportunity to examine the interactions of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in medieval Renaissance Spain. Each of these ethnic and religious groups developed new interpretations of the story dictated by the historical circumstances of a particular time and place, yet each was influenced by the versions created by the others. McGaha's book presents seven works based on the biblical story. Only two have been previously translated into English. All of these works are unmistakably Spanish, though many of them are also undeniably Jewish or Muslim. They are not just antiquarian curiosities, but are truly admirable literary texts.

No detailed description available for "Readings in Romance Linguistics".

Places II Morgante Magiore, the great Italian Renaissance epic by Luigi Pulci, in the context of contemporary Florentine polities. This volume also analyzes the poem's narrative structure and demonstrates the poet's understanding of issues that were to become vital to Florentine historiography a generation later.

The supplement to the 1976 original bibliography reflects the expanding scope of modern Chrétien studies, including items from around the world, with the assistance of an international team of scholars.