Medieval Romance: Unexpected Journeys and Meetings
Lecture by Bex Lyons
Given at the Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching on March 20, 2019
The experience of reading medieval – and indeed any – literature can open windows on to new worlds and novel encounters for the reader, with occasionally surprising consequences. This talk considers the ways in which reading medieval romance changed the life of a working class academic from a council estate, and presents some examples from medieval romance to show what this genre is capable of: fantasy, magic, love, chivalry – but most of all offering meetings with people from the past. It highlights the value in finding common ground with those from different contexts to our own, and how medieval literature can – perhaps unexpectedly – point us in the direction of shared human experience.
Medieval Romance: Unexpected Journeys and Meetings
Lecture by Bex Lyons
Given at the Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching on March 20, 2019
The experience of reading medieval – and indeed any – literature can open windows on to new worlds and novel encounters for the reader, with occasionally surprising consequences. This talk considers the ways in which reading medieval romance changed the life of a working class academic from a council estate, and presents some examples from medieval romance to show what this genre is capable of: fantasy, magic, love, chivalry – but most of all offering meetings with people from the past. It highlights the value in finding common ground with those from different contexts to our own, and how medieval literature can – perhaps unexpectedly – point us in the direction of shared human experience.
Bex Lyons is a Teaching Associate in English at the University of Bristol. Click here to view her university webpage or follow her on Twitter @MedievalBex
Top Image: British Library MS Royal 15 E VI f. 15v – Queen of the Amazons meeting Alexander
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