Florian Remele (University of Lausanne)

Transformations of German Arthurian Narrative in the 12th and 13th century. New Approaches to the History of Genre

In this talk, I want to develop a new perspective on the history of the German Arthurian Romance in the 12th and 13th century. While traditional research has relied on methodologies that are classificatory in nature, I want to suggest an approach to the history of genre that describes the processes through which genres come into existence in the first place. Instead of assuming that Chretien de Troyes or Hartmann von Aue created the prototypical ‘Arthurian model’ from which later texts deviate, this approach asks how certain types of narrative gradually emerge as conventions and how they are transformed over time. Conventions are not prescribed by an authority; they are rather products of collective negotiations that unfold through intertextual references. Analyzing the intertextual networks between texts provides insight into the processes of how certain narrative elements receive recognition and are acknowledged as conventional. At the same time, changes within the intertextual networks reveal how alternative ways of storytelling emerge and how they can become the new points of reference for literary production and reception.

Responses by Max Ashton (English) and Cynthia Vialle-Giancotti (French)