The Romance of the Middle Ages
No kind of writing is an island, entire of itself: romances incorporate motifs and settings from epic poetry, Norse sagas, Middle Eastern tales, saints’ lives, chronicles, and lyric love poetry. Most of all, romances are impelled by the narrative shape of a life, tracing an arc from orphaned child to emperor, from exile to return, or from slandered daughter to revered queen. In this way, they create person-shaped narratives that satisfy our repeated desire to learn about ourselves through telling stories.
And if that doesn't sum up Dorothy Dunnett's story-telling, what does?
There is a wonderful collection of medieval (and newer) manuscripts to be seen in Oxford at the moment as part of the Bodleian Library's The Romance of the Middle Ages exhibition. Visit the Bodleian website for a glimpse of the treasures on display and a fascinating video recorded by Oxford academics who explain the history and significance of them.
The exhibition is on until 13th May. And if you can make it on Wednesday 7th March or Friday 23rd March, you can sit in on a lunchtime lecture by Dr Nicholas Perkins (University Lecturer and Tutor in English, St Hugh's College, Oxford; Curator of the exhibition) or Prof Helen Cooper (Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Magdalene College, Cambridge). If you can possibly get there, this exhibition is not to be missed - and it doesn't cost a penny to get in.
The book that accompanies the exhibition is on sale at amazon.co.uk.
And if that doesn't sum up Dorothy Dunnett's story-telling, what does?
There is a wonderful collection of medieval (and newer) manuscripts to be seen in Oxford at the moment as part of the Bodleian Library's The Romance of the Middle Ages exhibition. Visit the Bodleian website for a glimpse of the treasures on display and a fascinating video recorded by Oxford academics who explain the history and significance of them.
The exhibition is on until 13th May. And if you can make it on Wednesday 7th March or Friday 23rd March, you can sit in on a lunchtime lecture by Dr Nicholas Perkins (University Lecturer and Tutor in English, St Hugh's College, Oxford; Curator of the exhibition) or Prof Helen Cooper (Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Magdalene College, Cambridge). If you can possibly get there, this exhibition is not to be missed - and it doesn't cost a penny to get in.
The book that accompanies the exhibition is on sale at amazon.co.uk.