This volume presents a semi-diplomatic edition of the text of MS C (London, British Library Cotton, Tiberius B.i). Usually referred to as `the Abingdon Chronicle', it was substantially copied in the mid-eleventh century and continued to be so sporadically thereafter; the supplement to its abrupt ending by a twelfth-century reader suggests that it was still of interest in the period after the Conquest. The C-text is an important source of information for the reign of Edward the Confessor, and it brings a unique political perspective to the ascendency of Godwine and his sons.
The traditional association of the text, manuscript or both with the reformed monastery of Abingdon has been an important feature of the current understanding of the interrelationships among the several texts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The present edition examines the various arguments for associating the C-text with Abingdon and the difficulties inherent in these arguments. It brings to bear evidence from the palaeography and codicology of the manuscript as well as text historical and linguistic evidence. The introduction to the text considers the different strands composing the C-text, and the close relationships of this text to MSS B, D, and E, and the volume is completed with indices of persons, peoples and places.Professor KATHERINE O'BRIEN O'KEEFFE teaches in the Department of English at the University of Notre Dame.
Reviews
Filled with a wealth of valuable detail... a major work. [A's] careful readings of manuscript and textual evidence provide crucial new insights into the central questions that concern the Chronicle's development and the development of the C-text in particular. SPECULUM AN authoritative edition. JOURNAL OF ENGLISH AND GERMANIC PHILOLOGY
Details
First Published: 02 Nov 2000
13 Digit ISBN: 9780859914918
Pages: 272
Size: 23.4 x 15.6
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: D.S.Brewer
Series:
Anglo-Saxon ChronicleSubject:
Medieval LiteratureBIC Class: DSBB
Details updated on 07 Feb 2012
