Literacy and Identity in Early Medieval Ireland (Hardcover, New)

The first comprehensive survey of the Irish literary elite in the early middle ages. Winner of the 2015 Irish Historical Research Prize. Much of our knowledge of early medieval Ireland comes from a rich literature written in a variety of genres and in two languages, Irish and Latin. Who wrote this literature and what role did they play within society? What did the introduction and expansion of literacy mean in a culture where the vast majority of the population continued to be non-literate? How did literacy operate in and intersect with the oral world? Was literacy a key element in the formation and articulation of communal and elite senses of identity? This book addresses these issues in the first full, inter-disciplinary examination of the Irish literate elite and their social contexts between ca. 400-1000 AD. It considers the role played by Hiberno-Latin authors, the expansion of vernacular literacy and the key place of monasteries within the literate landscape. Also examined are the crucial intersections between literacy and orality, which underpin the importance played by the literate elite in giving voice to aristocratic and communal identities. This study places these developments within a broader European context, underlining the significance of the Irish experience of learning and literacy. Elva Johnston is lecturer in the School of History and Archives, University College Dublin.

General

Imprint:	The Boydell Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Studies in Celtic History
Release date:	August 2013
First published:	August 2013
Authors:	Elva Johnston
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 26mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	248
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-1-84383-855-5
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > History > British & Irish history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Promotions
LSN:	1-84383-855-9
Barcode:	9781843838555

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