Medieval Literature and Postcolonial Studies (Postcolonial Literary Studies)

In this extensive introduction to a rich new area of research, Lisa Lamper-Weissig examines the historical connections between postcolonial and medieval studies, conducting new readings of key medieval texts from different European traditions. These include Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Bernard Mandeville's Travels, and Guillaume de Palerne, a French romance poem about werewolves set in Norman Sicily. Lampert also incorporates insights from later fiction set in the medieval period, such as Walter Scott's Ivanhoe and contemporary works by Salman Rushdie, Tariq Ali, Juan Goytisolo, and Amitav Ghosh. These fascinating comparisons connect postcolonial medievalisms to current issues, including the issue of race in the 2008 presidential elections, the thesis behind Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilisations, and the future of Islam in Europe. This volume features a helpful timeline, reproductions of medieval maps, and a bibliography with further readings.