Layamon
Layamon (English ˈlaɪ.əmən , Middle English: ˈlaɣamon ) was a poet of the early 13th century. His verse novel Brut (written between approx. 1200 and approx. 1215) is a history of England , written in 16,120 alliterating long lines in Middle English . It deals with the fabulous history of Britain from Brutus ' arrival after the fall of Troy, the story of King Arthur and his Round Table, his victory over the Romans in France, the Anglo-Saxon conquest and the expulsion of the British into Wales up to the death of Cædwalla (689), the last king of the British. This represents the first adaptation of the Arthurian material in English.
The text has survived in two manuscripts from the 13th century, of which Cotton Caligula A IX is the more reliable. Although he on the Roman de Brut by Wace in Norman based French, Layamons verse novel is remarkable for its wealth of Anglo-Saxon vocabulary. The researcher Roger S. Loomis counted 150 terms in the 32,200 verses. Style and narrative technique transform the courtly French model into a heroic and archaic tale based on old English traditions. The poet rejects anything Norman; the magical seems more important to him than the courtly manners.
Layamon describes himself as a priest who lives in Ernley (now Arley Regis) near Bewdley in Worcestershire and has traveled extensively. With his work he made a significant contribution to the revival of the English written language on the basis of colloquial language and thus to the continuity of a common Celtic-British and Anglo-Saxon culture that was suppressed by the Normans. His poem provided the basis for later writers, including Thomas Malory .
literature
- Layamon , in: HW Drescher: Lexicon of English Literature. Kröner, Stuttgart 1979, p. 263 f.
- W.Bo .: Layamon: Brut , in: Walter Jens (Hrsg.): Kindlers new literature dictionary. Munich 1996, vol. 10, p. 100 f.
Web links
- Literature by and about Layamon in the catalog of the German National Library
- Brood of Layamon (Cotton Caligula Manuscript Version)
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to W.Bo. 1996, p. 100: between 1185 and 1216.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Layamon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British poet, wrote a history of England |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 12th century or 13th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 13th Century |