Aspetti del meraviglioso nelle letterature medievali. Aspects du merveilleux dans les littératures médiévales

This book provides a fresh insight into European medieval culture by focusing on the concept of the marvellous as it was depicted in medieval writings. Drawing together papers that were presented at the Aspects of the Marvellous in Medieval Literature conference, held at the University of L’Aquila in November 2012, the volume takes a broad multicultural and multilingual approach that offers new perspectives onto the various kinds of mirabile and their common themes in texts from across Europe. Contributions to this volume pay equal attention to both Latin and vernacular writings, and cover aspects of the marvellous in fields as diverse as medieval Latin literature, Romance, Germanic, and Celtic philology, miracles and mirabilia, monsters and fairies, strange creatures and fantastic worlds. Above all, by expanding analysis through different literatures, languages, and literary genres, the volume not only provides an opportunity to compare and contrast key themes and features of these texts, but also casts new light onto the making of our own cultural identity.