The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens (Oxford Medieval Texts) [Hardcover]

Frank Barlow (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198207581 | ISBN-13: 978-0198207580 | Publication Date: November 25, 1999 | Edition: 2

The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio is one of the most discussed sources for the Norman Conquest of England. For this second edition, Frank Barlow has written an entirely new and substantial historical introduction, incorporating the scholarly research of a generation. He has also provided a fresh translation and notes, as well as revising the Latin text of the 1972 edition by Catherine Morton and Hope Muntz.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Barlow's treatment of the various versions of Harold's death is important and the discussion of the career of Bishop Guy adds an additional dimension to existing knowledge. Overall, Barlow's commentary undoubtedly requires that we rethink the way in which we approach the sources for the Battle of Hastings and therefore how we reconstruct the account of the battle itself.' David Bates, EHR

`This is a contribution of fundamental importance to the study of the Norman Conquest.' David Bates, EHR

`This is an impeccable new edition of the Carmen and a convincing attempt to lay to rest controversies about the poem's date and value which have bedivilled the study of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England for more than twenty years. Barlow's survey of the modern literature is comprehensive and his assessment of others' arguments meticulous.' David Bates, EHR

`As a state-of-the-art look at the historiography of Hastings, this little book is hard to surpass.' John Howe, H-Catholic.

`Bishop Guy s perspective is interesting ... Yet many readers of this Oxford Medieval Text may be less interested in the _ Carmen _ itself than in Barlow s introduction. It would be hard to find a more informed scholar than Barlow ... His introduction ... carefully contextualizes the poem by comparing it to all the major alternative sources. The three-page list of abbreviated references could itself serve as a point of departure for any student interested in beginning research on some aspect of the Battle of Hastings.' John Howe, H-Catholic.

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin (translation)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (November 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198207581
• ISBN-13: 978-0198207580
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,838,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Song of the Battle of Hastings, September 28, 2007

By 

Mithridates VI of Pontus (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens (Oxford Medieval Texts) (Hardcover)

The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio was most likely written by Bishop Guy of Amiens (born circa 1014 - 1074/1075) the second son of the Count of Ponthieu in France. The editor, Frank Barlow, spends half the massive introduction presenting the arguments for the disputed authorship. The song itself, only a third of the actual book, is written in imitation of the epics writing of Virgil, Statius, and Ovid and is full of references but still remains an important source (although arguably not very accurate) of the battle of Hastings. The author attempts to present the battle with the 'French' element of the Norman invasion force in the best possible light. His nephew is portrayed as a Classical Hero etc... Barlow presents a conflicting and convoluting argument for the importance of the text, however, he raises some interesting points about the contemporary sources for the battle and the opinions and biases that rise due to location etc.

However, the downfall of the volume is its EXTREME PRICE and the convoluted and excessively meandering introduction that says very little. Thankfully, I have access to an amazing University library so I could read the actual text without having to spend a ton of money. Five stars for the actual Song and three stars for the Frank Barlow's poor intro.

Illustrating the intro is this CONCLUDING statement: "Each has its peculiarities (the different accounts) due to its individual bias, purpose, artistic treatment, points of reference, and errors. This does not mean that Carmen necessarily provides the best or most accurate account." He carefully and laboriously points out how all the accounts differ but never explicitly concludes that the text is actually useful or not!!!

1.0 out of 5 stars Ludicrous Price, September 5, 2011

By 

John L. Edwards (Annapolis, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens (Oxford Medieval Texts) (Kindle Edition)

It's pretty obvious that this is a required text for a course at a University somewhere, for that's the only thing that could conceivably justify a $120 price on an ebook. The author would do well to discover that there are thousands of people such as myself that would consider such a book at $14.99 and likely increase his sales by a factor of ten or more.

The world has changed my friend -- you can sell to people all over the world now at the touch of a button, and they can find your product. There's no additional cost to selling additional copies of ebooks. Quit leaving money on the table.

J.