
The Invention of Frenchness
Negotiating Cultural Boundaries in the Literary Languages of Medieval France
Anne-Helene Miller(Author)
Liverpool University Press
Will be published approx. on 28. June 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-80596-729-3 (ISBN)
Description
The history of French literature has long been inextricably linked to a sense of genealogical history rooted in France. This sense of history exposes and defends a desire to fully realize the homogeneity of modern nation-states in terms of language and race. The Invention of Frenchness contributes to the revision of this paradigm by considering how in the long fourteenth century, a period neglected in that context, francophone writers increasingly debated and negotiated in their works a complex sense of literary and cultural identity. Such identity was not necessarily rooted in France, nor was it simply genealogical.
Beginning in the twelfth century, French literature focused on telling stories of how a knightly cast developed a common sense of transnational purpose and identity that they carried across Europe and the Mediterranean. Along the way, a growing desire to develop a sense of identity rooted in place became a preoccupation for francophone authors. Drawing on the Deleuzian notions of de- and re-territorialization, as well as that of the rhizome, by the fourteenth century, French authors invented a rich and impactful idea of Frenchness that was both global and local.
Beginning in the twelfth century, French literature focused on telling stories of how a knightly cast developed a common sense of transnational purpose and identity that they carried across Europe and the Mediterranean. Along the way, a growing desire to develop a sense of identity rooted in place became a preoccupation for francophone authors. Drawing on the Deleuzian notions of de- and re-territorialization, as well as that of the rhizome, by the fourteenth century, French authors invented a rich and impactful idea of Frenchness that was both global and local.
Reviews / Votes
'This is an incredibly rich and erudite study that will be a wonderful contribution to the scholarship in more than one domain: history of the French language, formation of the French literary canon and French identity more broadly.'Professor Tracy Adams, University of Auckland
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Liverpool
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
10 Illustrations, color; 2 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 163 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-80596-729-3 (9781805967293)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Anne-Helene Miller is Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies and Riggsby Director of the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Author
Associate Professor of FrenchThe University of Tennessee-Knoxville (United States)
Content
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Making of a Medieval French Literary History
Chapter 2: Building a Literary Nation in the Name of the Natural
Chapter 3: Cosmopolitan Translations in Medieval Paris
Chapter 4: The Long Negotiation of a French Cultural Authority in the South
Chapter 5: Francophonie Revisited for Peace and Diplomacy: Frenchness across Borders
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 1: The Making of a Medieval French Literary History
Chapter 2: Building a Literary Nation in the Name of the Natural
Chapter 3: Cosmopolitan Translations in Medieval Paris
Chapter 4: The Long Negotiation of a French Cultural Authority in the South
Chapter 5: Francophonie Revisited for Peace and Diplomacy: Frenchness across Borders
Conclusion
Bibliography