Otherworlds

Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature

Aisling Byrne

Offers a new argument about medieval notions of the "otherworld"
Demonstrates how medieval otherworld narratives are used for very serious, often political, purposes
Places medieval English texts in the wider context of literature from medieval Britain and Ireland
Considers historical and cartographical sources alongside literary accounts
Treats a range of material in English, Older Scots, Latin, French, Irish, and Welsh

Otherworlds

Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature

Aisling Byrne

Description

This book offers a new perspective on the "otherworlds" of medieval literature. These fantastical realms are among the most memorable places in medieval writing, by turns beautiful and monstrous, alluring and terrifying. Passing over a river or sea, or entering into a hollow hill, heroes come upon strange and magical realms. These places are often very beautiful, filled with sweet music, and adorned with precious stones and rich materials. There is often no darkness, time may pass at a different pace, and the people who dwell there are usually supernatural. Sometimes such a place is exactly what it appears to be--the land of heart's desire--but, the otherworld can also have a sinister side, trapping humans and keeping them there against their will.

Otherworlds: Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature takes a fresh look at how medieval writers understood these places and why they found them so compelling. It focuses on texts from England, but places this material in the broader context of literary production in medieval Britain and Ireland. The narratives examined in this book tell a rather surprising story about medieval notions of these fantastical places. Otherworlds are actually a lot less "other" than they might initially seem. Authors often use the idea of the otherworld to comment on very serious topics. It is not unusual for otherworld depictions to address political issues in the historical world. Most intriguing of all are those texts where locations in the real world are re-imagined as otherworlds. The regions on which this book focuses, Britain, Ireland, and the surrounding islands, prove particularly susceptible to this characterization.

Otherworlds

Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature

Aisling Byrne

Otherworlds

Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature

Aisling Byrne

Author Information

Aisling Byrne studied at University College Dublin and St. John's College, Cambridge. She has published on the transmission and translation of romance, on writers such as Gerald of Wales and Thomas Malory, and on themes such as marvels, feasting, chivalry, and territorial politics.

Otherworlds

Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature

Aisling Byrne

Reviews and Awards

"A model of interdisciplinary Celtic studies, this book shows that the Celtic literature of the Insular world just might help with questions that cannot be answered by recourse to English, French, or Latin literature alone. Engaging, well-written, and adventurous, Byrne's Otherworldswill become the new starting point for scholarship on the otherworld in medieval Insular literature." -- Joshua Byron Smith, Speculum

"The conclusion makes a succinct argument for transformative power of literature, a fitting end to a bracing book." -- Medium Aevum

"a welcome addition to a recently expanding corpus of critical studies of magic and the supernatural in the medieval period. One of the distinguishing features of Byrne's study is the way in which she engages skilfully not just with English material, but also with Scottish, Welsh and Irish texts, as well as with material in Old French and that concerning the Isle of Man." --Emily Wingfield, Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen

"This is an admirable book, readable, interesting, and impressively extensive in its range of references across a large swathe of medieval English, French, Irish, and Latin romance and history. Taking on the complex idea of "otherworld," it conclusively demonstrates that there are as many otherworlds as there are texts, each one referring intertextually to others and to key influences such as the Bible. By a process of close comparison and analysis, the book demonstrates the significance of romance otherworlds as avatars of the "real world" and its driving concerns. For scholars of medieval romance, this is an important book that will need to be read and assimilated before any further discussion of the supernatural otherworld can be attempted." --Helen Fulton, Studies in the Age of Chaucer

"Since Howard Rollins Patch published The Other World (1950), no booklength analysis has emerged on the topic. Byrne admirably fills this scholarly void. Elegantly written, smoothly argued and highly informative, Otherworlds is the first book that anyone who wishes to learn about medieval otherworlds should read." --Kathy Lavezzo, Modern Philology

"Aisling Byrne's fine study of medieval Otherworlds takes our engagement with the concept of the archipelagic in new and exciting directions." --Robert Rouse, postmedieval

"The book will have wide-ranging appeal to students and academics. The material on popular texts such as Sir Orfeo and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will be beneficial to undergraduates and the introduction offers an intelligent definition of key terminology and an assessment of challenges and assumptions that will be a useful model for graduate students. For scholars working on the otherworld, Byrne's book will be essential reading and, with its wealth of primary sources, will no doubt inspire further research and scholarship for years to come." -- The English Historical Review