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Narrative Structures in the Works of Paul the Deacon
[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2013.
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Abstract
Paul the Deacon wrote at a time when the Regnum Langobardorum was on the cusp of downfall and attachment to the Carolingian empire. Paul’s narratives (the Historia Langobardorum in particular) have become vital sources for Italian medieval history and a window on the world of the eighth century in the West. Recent approaches to Paul have projected modern perceptions onto his works in the quest to identify his politico-ethnic viewpoint. Consequently his personal ‘voice’ has been lost in modern treatments. The narrative structure of his work, and analysis of the kind of dramatic events that interested him, are areas that have hitherto been largely ignored by scholars.This thesis seeks to provide the context for both Paul’s Life and Works and to present an analysis of what it was that Paul actually said rather than trying to conjure an analysis from what he did not say. It will demonstrate that there is not only a ‘multi-vocality’ within the works of Paul, but links, connections, even contradictions that in themselves serve to present and show Paul’s singularity as both a writer and an individual in challenging times for both him personally and for Italy generally. Yet analysing Paul by using Paul alone is a teleological cul-de-sac and thus this thesis will seek to compare his narrative approach with that of other early medieval authors.
Layman's Abstract
Paul the Deacon wrote at a time when the Regnum Langobardorum was on the cusp of downfall and attachment to the Carolingian empire. Paul’s narratives (the Historia Langobardorum in particular) have become vital sources for Italian medieval history and a window on the world of the eighth century in the West. Recent approaches to Paul have projected modern perceptions onto his works in the quest to identify his politico-ethnic viewpoint. Consequently his personal ‘voice’ has been lost in modern treatments. The narrative structure of his work, and analysis of the kind of dramatic events that interested him, are areas that have hitherto been largely ignored by scholars.This thesis seeks to provide the context for both Paul’s Life and Works and to present an analysis of what it was that Paul actually said rather than trying to conjure an analysis from what he did not say. It will demonstrate that there is not only a ‘multi-vocality’ within the works of Paul, but links, connections, even contradictions that in themselves serve to present and show Paul’s singularity as both a writer and an individual in challenging times for both him personally and for Italy generally. Yet analysing Paul by using Paul alone is a teleological cul-de-sac and thus this thesis will seek to compare his narrative approach with that of other early medieval authors.