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Gerald of Wales: A Voice of the Middle Ages
Gerald of Wales, Giraldis Cambrensis, Gerald the Welshman, Gerald the Marcher - his many names reflect the long and multi-faceted career of one of the most fascinating figures of the Middle Ages. Descended from Norman Marcher barons and Welsh princes, Gerald was by turns scholar, churchman and reformer, courtier, diplomat and would-be crusader; Marcher propagandist, agent of English kings, champion of the Welsh church, hunted outlaw and cathedral theologian. He was also a naturalist, gossip and indefatigable traveller, but above all, a most prolific writer and a tireless self-publicist. We know more about Gerald than about any other inhabitant of early medieval Wales. In this fascinating study of Gerald's attitudes and intellectual outlook, Robert Bartlett discusses the delicate political path Gerald had to tread between Norman conquerors, native Celtic society and the English Crown. He analyses Gerald's clear voice in the time in which he lives, and portrays him as a vivid example of the medieval world.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Robert Bartlett
56 books51 followersRobert Bartlett, CBE, FBA, FRSE is Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Mediaeval History Emeritus at the University of St Andrews.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 12, 2018
This is an entertaining and thought provoking book. Bartlett's subject is one of the most intriguing figures of the 12th century and Gerald's writing on Ireland and Wales still makes entertaining reading if you can sidestep aspects of Gerald's character that can be off putting.
The Book is divided into three sections:Politics and Nationality, The Natural and Unnatural, and Ethnography.
As a 'biographical study rather than a biography', this is an excellent discussion of Gerald's writing and thought. While his writing remains readable, as Bartlett points out, Gerald wasn't in the front rank of thinkers in that extraordinary century.
If you know anything about Gerald this is probably compulsory reading, if you don't, and aren't interested in one of the most fascinating characters of the period, then it provides an insight into the twelfth century in any number of ways. While Gerald is an important witness to historical events, making the first part of this book the most 'historical', his curiosity and love of a good story raise broader questions about how an intelligent man in the twelfth century understood his world. His writings about Ireland and Wales are also, in Barlett's view, a reinvention of ethnographical writing.
Although I think this book is worth its five stars, I think the absence of a short chronological overview of Gerald's life is a flaw. The middle section has chunks of Latin which are not translated, then the book goes back to translating, which seems another odd editorial decision. Perhaps there's uncertainty about who the target audience is reflected in the publication as an Appendix of a Latin text of a poem by Gerald, again with no translation.
The size of the font in this edition is criminally small.
Apart from these three reservations the book is an excellent source of information, and Bartlett writes a clear precise prose that is enjoyable to read.
The Book is divided into three sections:Politics and Nationality, The Natural and Unnatural, and Ethnography.
As a 'biographical study rather than a biography', this is an excellent discussion of Gerald's writing and thought. While his writing remains readable, as Bartlett points out, Gerald wasn't in the front rank of thinkers in that extraordinary century.
If you know anything about Gerald this is probably compulsory reading, if you don't, and aren't interested in one of the most fascinating characters of the period, then it provides an insight into the twelfth century in any number of ways. While Gerald is an important witness to historical events, making the first part of this book the most 'historical', his curiosity and love of a good story raise broader questions about how an intelligent man in the twelfth century understood his world. His writings about Ireland and Wales are also, in Barlett's view, a reinvention of ethnographical writing.
Although I think this book is worth its five stars, I think the absence of a short chronological overview of Gerald's life is a flaw. The middle section has chunks of Latin which are not translated, then the book goes back to translating, which seems another odd editorial decision. Perhaps there's uncertainty about who the target audience is reflected in the publication as an Appendix of a Latin text of a poem by Gerald, again with no translation.
The size of the font in this edition is criminally small.
Apart from these three reservations the book is an excellent source of information, and Bartlett writes a clear precise prose that is enjoyable to read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review