The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature

According to the two editors, it has been a long time since the entire history of Welsh literature was treated in one volume, so the new effort by Geraint Evans and Helen Fulton must be certainly welcomed. But for a little housekeeping, so to speak, they only refer to the volume Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg hyd 1900, published by Thomas Parry in 1953, translated into English in 1955. A simple search in any online catalog, however, unearths other valuable studies, such as Bobi Jones’s The Dragon’s Pen: A Brief History of Welsh Literature (1986), Mathias Roland’s Anglo-Welsh Literature: An Illustrated History (1986), The Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales, ed. Meic Stephens (1986), and Dafydd Johnston, The Literature of Wales (1994), none of which are included in the final cumulative bibliography. Of course, this does not mean at all that new efforts in that regard could be dismissed, on the contrary. In fact, as Evans and Fulton correctly emphasize, both with respect to the use of English and the use of Welsh, the time has come to approach the entire corpus of literary texts as produced in Wales from the early Middle Ages until today in a holistic fashion, although this work was here divvied up among a larger number of scholars responsible for individual literary-historical periods. It would have been helpful, however, if the editors had reviewed critically the previous efforts to write a literary history of Wales in order to highlight better the new approaches and methodologies, which are explained subsequently, but not clearly enough in contrast to previous publications.

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A History of Welsh Literature

The Modern Language Review ◽

10.2307/3719245 ◽

1956 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 594

Author(s):

Kenneth Jackson ◽

Thomas Parry ◽

H. Idris Bell

Keyword(s):

History Of ◽

Welsh Literature

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Textual Criticism and Text Reconstruction: Approaches to Early Russian and Welsh Poetry

Studia Celto-Slavica ◽

10.54586/iumu8654 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 149-158

Author(s):

Elena Parina ◽

Keyword(s):

Textual Criticism ◽

Historical Interpretation ◽

Reliable Source ◽

History Of ◽

Text Reconstruction ◽

Poetic Texts ◽

Welsh Literature

The Tale of Igor’s Campaign and The Gododdin, two poetic texts crucially important for the history of Early Russian and Welsh literature respectively, have a very dark history. Both are preserved in only one reliable source and are supposed to be composed about 600 years before this edition or manuscript was created. Anna Dybo and John Koch however propose an attempt of reconstruction for the Ur-Text of these poetic masterpieces. In this article we compare the framework within which these reconstructions were created. Whereas Anna Dybo relies mainly on contemporary texts, John Koch in the absence of such monuments has to rely more on historical interpretation.

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‘Y Ganrif Fawr’? Piety, Literature and Patronage in Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Wales

Studies in Church History ◽

10.1017/s0424208400001261 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 48 ◽

pp. 107-123

Author(s):

Katharine K. Olson

Keyword(s):

Sixteenth Century ◽

Early Modern ◽

Religious Change ◽

Native Culture ◽

Manuscript Tradition ◽

Lay Piety ◽

History Of ◽

Welsh Literature ◽

Medieval Ireland

This essay offers a reconsideration of the idea of ‘The Great Century’ of Welsh literature (1435–1535) and related assumptions of periodization for understanding the development of lay piety and literature in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Wales. It focuses on the origins of these ideas in (and their debt to) modern Welsh nationalist and Protestant and Catholic confessional thought, and their significance for the interpretation of Welsh literature and history. In addition, it questions their accuracy and usefulness in the light of contemporary patterns of manuscript production, patronage and devotional content of Welsh books of poetry and prose produced by the laity during and after this ‘golden age’ of literature. Despite the existence of over a hundred printed works in Welsh by 1660, the vernacular manuscript tradition remained robust; indeed, ‘native culture for the most part continued to be transmitted as it had been transmitted for centuries, orally or in manuscript’ until the eighteenth century. Bardic poetry’s value as a fundamental source for the history of medieval Ireland and Wales has been rightly acknowledged. However, more generally, Welsh manuscripts of both poetry and prose must be seen as a crucial historical source. They tell us much about contemporary views, interests and priorities, and offer a significant window onto the devotional world of medieval and early modern Welsh men and women. Drawing on recent work on Welsh literature, this paper explores the production and patronage of such books and the dynamics of cultural and religious change. Utilizing National Library of Wales Llanstephan MS 117D as a case study, it also examines their significance and implications for broader trends in lay piety and the nature of religious change in Wales.

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Alexander Smirnov and the Beginnings of Celtic Studies in Russia

Studia Celto-Slavica ◽

10.54586/vzlu3138 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 139-148

Author(s):

Grigory Bondarenko ◽

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Academic Career ◽

Early Years ◽

Literary Studies ◽

Founding Father ◽

History Of ◽

Celtic Studies ◽

Romance Literatures ◽

Welsh Literature

Celtic studies in Russia which have developed during the twentieth century into a recognised and respectable branch on the tree of humanities owe much to one person who undoubtedly has won a right to be called a patriarch of Celtic studies in Russia, namely Alexander Alexandrovich Smirnov. Mostly known for his pioneering translations of early Irish tales into Russian in the early days of his career he was also prominent scholar of Welsh and Breton covering many aspects of Celtic linguistics and literary studies. His biography, achievements and approach to Celtic studies in Russia deserve better attention both on the Russian side and in the view of the history of Celtic studies worldwide. We are aiming here to connect facts of his biography with his academic career in the field of Celtic studies and because of the specific aims and limits of the present conference we are not going to touch on his role as a scholar of Romance literatures and as a Shakespearean scholar. Alexander Smirnov [27.8(8.9).1883 – 16.9.1962] can be considered the first professional Celtic scholar in Russia. He was a prominent medievalist and philologist with a range of interests from early Irish and Welsh literature to Shakespearean studies. The paper is devoted to some little known facts from Smirnov’s biography especially to the early years of his academic career in Russia, France and Ireland. His earlier publications on Celtic literatures and ideas expressed therein will be brought to light and examined. Smirnov should be recognised as a ‘founding father’ of a school of Russian Celtic studies. His ideas and influence are still alive in the works of subsequent Russian scholars of Celtic.

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