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The Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the
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The Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the Text Attributed to Asser Hardcover - 2001

by A. Smyth


From the publisher

Very few King's earn the appellation 'Great'. Alfred is the only English King honoured with this name and is credited with various successes (the foundation of a navy, English education system and religious revival). His memory looms large in the English Imagination. The medieval 'Life' of King Alfred of Wessex purports to be written by Asser, a monk in the King's service. This account of one of England's best loved and most famous kings has been accepted as offering evidence on most aspects of life in early medieval England and beyond. It was used in Victorian times to create a 'Cult' of Alfred. Alfred Smyth offers a carefully annotated translation of the 'Life' together with a long commentary. He argues that the 'Life' is a forgery which has profound implications not only for our understanding of the early English and medieval past but also for the nature of biography and history. This close scholarly rendering of the text allows the reader access to the intricacies of medieval history.

First line

The Life of King Alfred attributed to Asser occupies a central place in English historical writing, not only because of its acceptance by scholars as the earliest extant biography of an English king - and indeed of any English lay person - but because its subject is Alfred the Great of Wessex whom Asser, the self-proclaimed author of the Life, claims to have known as a tutor and a friend.

Details

  • Title The Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the Text Attributed to Asser
  • Author A. Smyth
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 280
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Palgrave MacMillan, London
  • Date 2001-11-28
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Annotated, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780333699171 / 0333699173
  • Weight 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.38 x 6.6 x 0.94 in (23.83 x 16.76 x 2.39 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Ancient (To 499 A.D.)
    • Chronological Period: Medieval (500-1453) Studies
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Great Britain - Kings and rulers, Anglo-Saxons
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001048206
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 10/01/2002, Page 345
  • Library Journal, 01/01/2002, Page 121

About the author

ALFRED SMYTH is Director of Research and Head of the Graduate School, Canterbury Christ Church University College. Formerly Master of Keynes College, University of Kent and Warden of St. George's House, Windsor Castle.
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Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the Text Attributed to Asser
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