Medieval Literature
An Introduction to Type-Scenes

Medieval Literature: An Introduction to Type-Scenes is the first book-length exploration of the type-scenes of western medieval literature from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, spanning both the Latinate and Germanic traditions. Type-scenes are the recurring, stock scenes comprising the basic structure and cognitive guidance for narrative. These formulaic scenes enabled medieval poets to express originality while honoring tradition. Central to medieval poetic invention, type-scenes form the vital ?internal organs? of narrative, each serving a specialized function while working in concert with other organs to create and sustain the story. This accessible and engaging guide to medieval type-scenes consists of three parts: Part One is a Compendium of the type-scenes commonly found in medieval narrative, including analyses of examples from individual poems. Part Two explores combinations of type-scenes within single works of literature for purposes of chronology, characterization, or virtuosity. Part Three examines how a single type-scene manifests across multiple poems, adapting to a variety of settings and periods, while maintaining its original intent. This volume kindles in scholars, teachers and students alike a new and refreshing awareness of the foundational narrative strategies of medieval literature.

Introduction

Part One: A Compendium of Type-Scenes of Medieval Literature

Arming of the Hero

Beasts of Battle

Blason

Catalog of Warriors

Conciliar Debate

Contending Throng

Council of the Gods

Crowd of Onlookers

Dawn Song

Ekphrasis

Epic Descent

Descent into the Underworld (katabasis)

Disguise and Infiltration

Exile

Flyting

Hero on the Beach

Inventio

Joy in the Hall

Lady with the Mead Cup

Loathly Lady Encounter

Locus Amoenus

Magic Ring

Open Heavens

Outlaw Gathering

Paraclausithyron

Rash Promise

Scop’s Repertoire

Sleeping After the Feast

Teichoscopia

Traveler Recognizes His Goal

Wise Woman

Part Two: Type-Scenes Sequences within Single Works

I: Sequencing for Chronology: Boccaccio’s Use of Epic Type-Scenes

in the Teseida.

II: Sequencing for Characterization: Anglo-Saxon as Other in the

Middle English Athelston

III: Sequencing for Virtuosity: The “Sleeping After the Feast” Type-Scene

in Beowulf

Part Three: One Type-Scene in Three Different Works: Medieval Cultural Profiling: The

“Wise Woman” Type-Scene in Middle English Romance

Dominique Battles holds a Ph.D. in English from University of Virginia, and an M.A. in Medieval Studies from University of York (UK). Her previous publications include The Medieval Tradition of Thebes (2004), and Cultural Difference and Material Culture in Middle English Romance: Normans and Saxons (2013), as well as numerous articles on medieval literature.