Orderic Vitalis: Life, Works and Interpretations

First full-length collection on one of the most significant and influential historians of the medieval period.

First full-length collection on one of the most significant and influential historians of the medieval period.

TheGesta Normannorum ducum andHistoria ecclesiastica of Orderic Vitalis are widely regarded as landmarks in the development of European historical writing and, as such, are essential sources of medieval history forstudents and scholars alike. The essays here consider Orderic's life and works, presenting new research on existing topics within Orderic studies and opening up new directions for future analysis and debate. They offer fresh interpretations from across the disciplines of medieval manuscript studies, English-language studies, archaeology, theology, and cultural memory studies; they also revisit established readings.

CHARLES C. ROZIER gained hisPhD from the University of Durham; DANIEL ROACH gained his PhD from the University of Exeter; GILES E.M. GASPER is Senior Lecturer in History, University of Durham; ELIZABETH VAN HOUTS is Honorary Professor of Medieval European History, University of Cambridge.

Contributors: William M. Aird, Emily Albu, James G. Clark, Vincent Debiais, Mark Faulkner, Giles E. M. Gasper, Véronique Gazeau, Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, Elisabeth Mégier, Thomas O'Donnell, Benjamin Pohl, Daniel Roach, Thomas Roche, Charles C. Rozier, Sigbjørn Olsen Sønnesyn, Kathleen Thompson, Elisabeth van Houts, Anne-Sophie Vigot,Jenny Weston

Introduction: Interpreting Orderic Vitalis - Charles C. Rozier and Daniel Roach
Orderic and His Father Odelerius - Elisabeth M C van Houts
Following the Master's Lead: The Script of Orderic Vitalis & the Discovery of a New Manuscript (Rouen, BM, 540) - Jenny Weston
Orderic as Librarian and Cantor of Saint-Évroul - Charles C. Rozier
Orderic and English - Mark Faulkner
Saint-Évroul and Southern Italy in Orderic'sHistoria ecclesiastica - Daniel Roach
Reading Orderic Vitalis with Charters in Mind - Thomas Roche
Inscriptions in Orderic'sHistoria ecclesiastica: a Writing Technique Between History and Poetry - Vincent Debias
Inscriptions in Orderic'sHistoria ecclesiastica: a Writing Technique Between History and Poetry - Estelle Ingrand-Varenne
Orderic Vitalis and the Cult of Saints - Véronique Gazeau
Orderic's Secular Rulers and Representations of Personality and Power in theHistoria ecclesiastica - William M. Aird
Worldly Woe and Heavenly Joy: The Tone of theHistoria ecclesiastica - Emily Albu
Jesus Christ, a Protagonist of Anglo-Norman History? History and Theology in Orderic Vitalis'Historia ecclesiastica - Elisabeth Megier
Orderic Vitalis, Historical Writing and a Theology of Reckoning - Giles E.M. Gasper
Studiosi abdita investigant: Orderic Vitalis and The Mystical Morals of History - Sigbjorn Olsen Sonnesyn
Meanders, Loops, and Dead Ends: Literary Form and the Common Life in Orderic'sHistoria ecclesiastica - Thomas O'Donnell
Orderic and the Tironensians - Kathleen Thompson
'One single letter remained in excess of all his sins.' Orderic Vitalis and Cultural Memory - Benjamin Pohl
The Reception of Orderic Vitalis in the Later Middle Ages - James G. Clark
New Archaeological Investigations at the Abbey of Saint-Évroul-nôtre-Dame-des-bois - Anne-Sophie Vigot
Appendix: Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts Featuring the Hand of Orderic Vitalis - Jenny Weston
Appendix: Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts Featuring the Hand of Orderic Vitalis - Charles C. Rozier
Bibliography
Index of Manuscripts Cited