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Papers by Dorsey Armstrong
Studies in the Age of Chaucer, 2003
Arthuriana, 2002
'knows' that he had an heretical (or 'near heretical') viewpoint or not, or wheth... more 'knows' that he had an heretical (or 'near heretical') viewpoint or not, or whether he was actually trying to conceal anything from anybody or not; thus the notion that these authors had discovered how to 'conceal' under a veil ofallegory viewpoints which might have been 'dangerous' to state in other terms comes to seem essentially meaningless. Reader tolerance will vary for Chance's attempts to apply this sort ofpostmodern 'theory lite' to her texts. On balance it seems to me that the book's primary utility as a mythographic reference is actually little hindered by it, or by the naivety ofcertain aspects of her presentation. There are two reasons for this; first, the argument is pushed fairly lightly, and there are long segments where it is not pushed at all. The bulk of the book is really descriptive rather than analytical. Second, where it does get pushed hard (as in the chapter on Bersuire), its wrongness is generally selfevident. The mythographic texts themselves are treated fairly, and for the most part the aspects of her argument that are naive or imprecise can simply be ignored. The book remains a useful compendium of information.
Arthuriana, 2005
The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing numb... more The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing number of books and collections in the almost twenty years that have elapsed since the publication of the present editors' earlier volume, God and Nature. 1 Like its predecessor, the book under review starts by distancing itself from the warfare metaphor used to characterize the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century and the ªrst seven decades of the twentieth. More recent scholarship has tended to focus on the interaction-often positivebetween the two areas rather than their conºict. The well-written essays in this book cover material from the Middle Ages through the post-Darwinian debates, highlighting science in the medieval Church, the trial of Galileo, the mechanical philosophy of the seventeenth century, the history of the earth and the book of Genesis, various aspects of the debates about evolution, the Scopes trial, and secularization. Most of the essays are clear, and the excellent, annotated bibliography mentions many important readings. The ªrst ªve articles deal with the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern period. The remaining seven chapters deal with the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the English-speaking world. In these respects, the present volume differs from its predecessor, which devoted a larger proportion of articles to the early periods and considered a wider range of linguistic venues. This difference mirrors changes in the history of science, a ªeld in which the center of gravity has moved forward in time from the period of the scientiªc revolution to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although the essays in this book largely avoid the clichés of the warfare metaphor, they tend to treat science and religion as separate entities with a history of encounters. There is little consideration of the ways in which each area has penetrated the other and informed its concepts or ways of thinking. The volume would have been enriched by discussions of how the historical approaches of Charles Lyell's geology and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution reºect the inºuence of biblical narrative rather than the Greek emphasis on harmony and form or how nineteenth-century biblical scholarship reºects the application of scientiªc and empirical methods to all areas of intellectual life. Nevertheless, Lindberg and Numbers have produced a useful collection, which does not replace their earlier volume but makes much of its content accessible to a wider, less specialized audience.
Parergon, 2008
The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stori... more The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stories of King Arthur and his conflict with Rome: the first, dominant, narrative is emphatically martial; the second, latent, narrative suggests peaceful alternatives to Arthur's warlike actions. The presence of this second narrative that functions as a critique of the king's actions becomes clear with the appearance of Arthur's sword Clarent in Mordred's hand, a moment unique in the Arthurian tradition.
The Journal of English and Germanic Philology
Boydell and Brewer eBooks, Dec 31, 2012
Essays in Medieval Studies
The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain
Professor Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English at Purdue University and an expert o... more Professor Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English at Purdue University and an expert on the legend of King Arthur. She received her A.B. in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from Duke University. Professor Armstrong has written extensively on Arthurian literature and Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur and is editor in chief of the celebrated academic journal Arthuriana. In addition to Arthurian literature, her research interests include medieval women writers and late medieval print culture.
The Medieval Review, 2005
The Medieval Review, Jun 1, 2011
Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 2006
The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing numb... more The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing number of books and collections in the almost twenty years that have elapsed since the publication of the present editors' earlier volume, God and Nature. 1 Like its predecessor, the book under review starts by distancing itself from the warfare metaphor used to characterize the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century and the ªrst seven decades of the twentieth. More recent scholarship has tended to focus on the interaction-often positivebetween the two areas rather than their conºict. The well-written essays in this book cover material from the Middle Ages through the post-Darwinian debates, highlighting science in the medieval Church, the trial of Galileo, the mechanical philosophy of the seventeenth century, the history of the earth and the book of Genesis, various aspects of the debates about evolution, the Scopes trial, and secularization. Most of the essays are clear, and the excellent, annotated bibliography mentions many important readings. The ªrst ªve articles deal with the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern period. The remaining seven chapters deal with the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the English-speaking world. In these respects, the present volume differs from its predecessor, which devoted a larger proportion of articles to the early periods and considered a wider range of linguistic venues. This difference mirrors changes in the history of science, a ªeld in which the center of gravity has moved forward in time from the period of the scientiªc revolution to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although the essays in this book largely avoid the clichés of the warfare metaphor, they tend to treat science and religion as separate entities with a history of encounters. There is little consideration of the ways in which each area has penetrated the other and informed its concepts or ways of thinking. The volume would have been enriched by discussions of how the historical approaches of Charles Lyell's geology and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution reºect the inºuence of biblical narrative rather than the Greek emphasis on harmony and form or how nineteenth-century biblical scholarship reºects the application of scientiªc and empirical methods to all areas of intellectual life. Nevertheless, Lindberg and Numbers have produced a useful collection, which does not replace their earlier volume but makes much of its content accessible to a wider, less specialized audience.
Parergon, 2008
The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stori... more The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stories of King Arthur and his conflict with Rome: the first, dominant, narrative is emphatically martial; the second, latent, narrative suggests peaceful alternatives to Arthur's warlike actions. The presence of this second narrative that functions as a critique of the king's actions becomes clear with the appearance of Arthur's sword Clarent in Mordred's hand, a moment unique in the Arthurian tradition. Perhaps no other Arthurian text simultaneously invites and frustrates definition and interpretation as does the Alliterative Morte Arthure. 1 The questions of date, genre, and meaning-to name just a few-have produced a wide variety of responses among those who study this fascinating poem, which exists uniquely in the socalled Thornton manuscript. Is it a fourteenth-or fifteenth-century poem? Are its topical allusions to Edward III? Richard II? neither? both? 2 Is it a chronicle, a 1 Larry D. Benson was perhaps the first to clearly articulate the idea that the poem is able to maintain 'contradictory viewpoints, sincerely admiring and just as sincerely rejecting worldly ideals', and further, that it could both invite and frustrate opposing interpretations of the poem's meaning ('The Alliterative Morte Arthure and Medieval Tragedy', Tennessee Studies in Literature, 11 (1966), 75-89; 76-77). 2 On this, see in particular the notes and apparatus in Mary Hamel's Morte Arthure: A Critical Edition (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1984); all citations to the text will be to this edition. See also Benson, 'The Date of the Alliterative Morte Arthure', in Medieval
A New Companion to Malory, 2019
Introduction: Places of Romance 1. Mapping Malory's Morte : The (Physical) Place and (Narrati... more Introduction: Places of Romance 1. Mapping Malory's Morte : The (Physical) Place and (Narrative) Space of Cornwall Dorsey Armstrong 2. Of Wales and Women: Guenevere's Sister and the Isles Kenneth Hodges 3. Sir Gawain, Scotland, Orkney Kenneth Hodges 4. Trudging toward Rome, Drifting toward Sarras Dorsey Armstrong 5. Why Malory's Launcelot Is Not French:Region, Nation, and Political Identity Kenneth Hodges Conclusion: Malory's Questing Beast and the Geography of the Arthurian World Dorsey Armstrong
Medieval Feminist Forum, 2004
Studies in the Age of Chaucer, 2003
Arthuriana, 2002
'knows' that he had an heretical (or 'near heretical') viewpoint or not, or wheth... more 'knows' that he had an heretical (or 'near heretical') viewpoint or not, or whether he was actually trying to conceal anything from anybody or not; thus the notion that these authors had discovered how to 'conceal' under a veil ofallegory viewpoints which might have been 'dangerous' to state in other terms comes to seem essentially meaningless. Reader tolerance will vary for Chance's attempts to apply this sort ofpostmodern 'theory lite' to her texts. On balance it seems to me that the book's primary utility as a mythographic reference is actually little hindered by it, or by the naivety ofcertain aspects of her presentation. There are two reasons for this; first, the argument is pushed fairly lightly, and there are long segments where it is not pushed at all. The bulk of the book is really descriptive rather than analytical. Second, where it does get pushed hard (as in the chapter on Bersuire), its wrongness is generally selfevident. The mythographic texts themselves are treated fairly, and for the most part the aspects of her argument that are naive or imprecise can simply be ignored. The book remains a useful compendium of information.
Arthuriana, 2005
The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing numb... more The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing number of books and collections in the almost twenty years that have elapsed since the publication of the present editors' earlier volume, God and Nature. 1 Like its predecessor, the book under review starts by distancing itself from the warfare metaphor used to characterize the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century and the ªrst seven decades of the twentieth. More recent scholarship has tended to focus on the interaction-often positivebetween the two areas rather than their conºict. The well-written essays in this book cover material from the Middle Ages through the post-Darwinian debates, highlighting science in the medieval Church, the trial of Galileo, the mechanical philosophy of the seventeenth century, the history of the earth and the book of Genesis, various aspects of the debates about evolution, the Scopes trial, and secularization. Most of the essays are clear, and the excellent, annotated bibliography mentions many important readings. The ªrst ªve articles deal with the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern period. The remaining seven chapters deal with the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the English-speaking world. In these respects, the present volume differs from its predecessor, which devoted a larger proportion of articles to the early periods and considered a wider range of linguistic venues. This difference mirrors changes in the history of science, a ªeld in which the center of gravity has moved forward in time from the period of the scientiªc revolution to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although the essays in this book largely avoid the clichés of the warfare metaphor, they tend to treat science and religion as separate entities with a history of encounters. There is little consideration of the ways in which each area has penetrated the other and informed its concepts or ways of thinking. The volume would have been enriched by discussions of how the historical approaches of Charles Lyell's geology and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution reºect the inºuence of biblical narrative rather than the Greek emphasis on harmony and form or how nineteenth-century biblical scholarship reºects the application of scientiªc and empirical methods to all areas of intellectual life. Nevertheless, Lindberg and Numbers have produced a useful collection, which does not replace their earlier volume but makes much of its content accessible to a wider, less specialized audience.
Parergon, 2008
The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stori... more The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stories of King Arthur and his conflict with Rome: the first, dominant, narrative is emphatically martial; the second, latent, narrative suggests peaceful alternatives to Arthur's warlike actions. The presence of this second narrative that functions as a critique of the king's actions becomes clear with the appearance of Arthur's sword Clarent in Mordred's hand, a moment unique in the Arthurian tradition.
The Journal of English and Germanic Philology
Boydell and Brewer eBooks, Dec 31, 2012
Essays in Medieval Studies
The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain
Professor Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English at Purdue University and an expert o... more Professor Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English at Purdue University and an expert on the legend of King Arthur. She received her A.B. in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from Duke University. Professor Armstrong has written extensively on Arthurian literature and Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur and is editor in chief of the celebrated academic journal Arthuriana. In addition to Arthurian literature, her research interests include medieval women writers and late medieval print culture.
The Medieval Review, 2005
The Medieval Review, Jun 1, 2011
Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 2006
The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing numb... more The history of the relationship between science and religion has been the focus of a growing number of books and collections in the almost twenty years that have elapsed since the publication of the present editors' earlier volume, God and Nature. 1 Like its predecessor, the book under review starts by distancing itself from the warfare metaphor used to characterize the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century and the ªrst seven decades of the twentieth. More recent scholarship has tended to focus on the interaction-often positivebetween the two areas rather than their conºict. The well-written essays in this book cover material from the Middle Ages through the post-Darwinian debates, highlighting science in the medieval Church, the trial of Galileo, the mechanical philosophy of the seventeenth century, the history of the earth and the book of Genesis, various aspects of the debates about evolution, the Scopes trial, and secularization. Most of the essays are clear, and the excellent, annotated bibliography mentions many important readings. The ªrst ªve articles deal with the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern period. The remaining seven chapters deal with the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the English-speaking world. In these respects, the present volume differs from its predecessor, which devoted a larger proportion of articles to the early periods and considered a wider range of linguistic venues. This difference mirrors changes in the history of science, a ªeld in which the center of gravity has moved forward in time from the period of the scientiªc revolution to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although the essays in this book largely avoid the clichés of the warfare metaphor, they tend to treat science and religion as separate entities with a history of encounters. There is little consideration of the ways in which each area has penetrated the other and informed its concepts or ways of thinking. The volume would have been enriched by discussions of how the historical approaches of Charles Lyell's geology and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution reºect the inºuence of biblical narrative rather than the Greek emphasis on harmony and form or how nineteenth-century biblical scholarship reºects the application of scientiªc and empirical methods to all areas of intellectual life. Nevertheless, Lindberg and Numbers have produced a useful collection, which does not replace their earlier volume but makes much of its content accessible to a wider, less specialized audience.
Parergon, 2008
The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stori... more The Alliterative Morte Arthure poet has revised his sources to create a poem that tells two stories of King Arthur and his conflict with Rome: the first, dominant, narrative is emphatically martial; the second, latent, narrative suggests peaceful alternatives to Arthur's warlike actions. The presence of this second narrative that functions as a critique of the king's actions becomes clear with the appearance of Arthur's sword Clarent in Mordred's hand, a moment unique in the Arthurian tradition. Perhaps no other Arthurian text simultaneously invites and frustrates definition and interpretation as does the Alliterative Morte Arthure. 1 The questions of date, genre, and meaning-to name just a few-have produced a wide variety of responses among those who study this fascinating poem, which exists uniquely in the socalled Thornton manuscript. Is it a fourteenth-or fifteenth-century poem? Are its topical allusions to Edward III? Richard II? neither? both? 2 Is it a chronicle, a 1 Larry D. Benson was perhaps the first to clearly articulate the idea that the poem is able to maintain 'contradictory viewpoints, sincerely admiring and just as sincerely rejecting worldly ideals', and further, that it could both invite and frustrate opposing interpretations of the poem's meaning ('The Alliterative Morte Arthure and Medieval Tragedy', Tennessee Studies in Literature, 11 (1966), 75-89; 76-77). 2 On this, see in particular the notes and apparatus in Mary Hamel's Morte Arthure: A Critical Edition (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1984); all citations to the text will be to this edition. See also Benson, 'The Date of the Alliterative Morte Arthure', in Medieval
A New Companion to Malory, 2019
Introduction: Places of Romance 1. Mapping Malory's Morte : The (Physical) Place and (Narrati... more Introduction: Places of Romance 1. Mapping Malory's Morte : The (Physical) Place and (Narrative) Space of Cornwall Dorsey Armstrong 2. Of Wales and Women: Guenevere's Sister and the Isles Kenneth Hodges 3. Sir Gawain, Scotland, Orkney Kenneth Hodges 4. Trudging toward Rome, Drifting toward Sarras Dorsey Armstrong 5. Why Malory's Launcelot Is Not French:Region, Nation, and Political Identity Kenneth Hodges Conclusion: Malory's Questing Beast and the Geography of the Arthurian World Dorsey Armstrong
Medieval Feminist Forum, 2004