Fantasy, Identity and Misrecognition in Medieval French Narrative

Product Description This book offers detailed and provocative readings of a range of medieval French texts (chansons de geste from the cycle du roi, the verse Ovide moralisé and the trickster narrative, Trubert), aiming to illustrate how the ideas of Jacques Lacan and Slavoj Žižek can be applied to works from this period. By means of this approach, it aims to throw new light on the manner in which different works define, elaborate and undermine their respective visions of literary, communal and historical identity. Review «C’est un livre dont on peut apprendre beaucoup et qui donne à réfléchir.» (Sarah Kay, Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale) «...this is a challenging and stimulating book for those interested in medieval texts, modern theory, and the interaction between the two.» (Alison Williams, Modern Language Review) «James R. Simpson, ‘Fantasy, Identity and Misrecognition in Medieval French Narrative‘...is a compelling analysis of a diverse range of texts from the 13th c. and later.» (The Year’s Work in Modern Language Studies) About the Author The Author: James R. Simpson studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, receiving his B.A. hons degree in 1987 and his doctorate in 1991. After three years as a British Academy postdoctoral research fellow spent at Robinson College, Cambridge, he was appointed to a temporary post in the department of French, Trinity College Dublin. Since 1996, he has been a lecturer in the department of French in the University of Glasgow.