Mackley, J. S. (2008) The Legend of Brendan: a Comparative Study of the Latin and Anglo-Norman Versions. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. 9789004166622.
The Legend of St Brendan is a study of two accounts of a voyage undertaken by Brendan, a sixth-century Irish saint. The immense popularity of the Latin version encouraged many vernacular translations, including a twelfth-century Anglo-Norman reworking of the narrative which excises much of the devotional material seen in the ninth-century Navigatio Sancti Brendani abbatis and changes the emphasis, leaving a recognisably secular narrative. The vernacular version focuses on marvellous imagery and the trials and tribulations of a long sea-voyage. Together the two versions demonstrate a movement away from hagiography towards adventure. Studies of the two versions rarely discuss the elements of the fantastic. Following a summary of authorship, audiences and sources, this comparative study adopts a structural approach to the two versions of the Brendan narrative. It considers what the fantastic imagery achieves and addresses issues raised with respect to theological parallels
Item Type:
Book
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Literary criticism, Medieval, Navigatio Sancti Brendani, Christianity, Literature & the Arts, religion, travel narrative, Medieval fantastic literature
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