A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to provide an updated scholarly introduction to all aspects of his work. Arguably the most influential secular writer of medieval Britain, Geoffrey (d. 1154) popularized Arthurian literature and left an indelible mark on European romance, history, and genealogy. Despite this outsized influence, Geoffrey's own life, background, and motivations are little understood. The volume situates his life and works within their immediate historical context, and frames them within current critical discussion across the humanities. By necessity, this volume concentrates primarily on Geoffrey's own life and times, with the reception of his works covered by a series of short encyclopaedic overviews, organized by language, that serve as guides to further reading. Contributors are Jean Blacker, Elizabeth Bryan, Thomas H. Crofts, Sian Echard, Fabrizio De Falco, Michael Faletra, Ben Guy, Santiago Gutierrez Garci a, Nahir I. Otano Gracia, Paloma Gracia, Georgia Henley, David F. Johnson, Owain Wyn Jones, Maud Burnett McInerney, Francoise Le Saux, Barry Lewis, Coral Lumbley, Simon Meecham-Jones, Paul Russell, Victoria Shirley, Joshua Byron Smith, Jaakko Tahkokallio, Helene Tetrel, Rebecca Thomas, Fiona Tolhurst.

Contents A Note on Translations List of Figures Abbreviations Contributors Introduction and Biography Joshua Byron Smith Part 1: Sources 1 Geoffrey of Monmouth's Welsh Sources Ben Guy 2 Geoffrey of Monmouth's Classical and Biblical Inheritance Paul Russell 3 Geoffrey of Monmouth and the English Past Rebecca Thomas 4 Riddling Words: the Prophetiae Merlini Maud Burnett McInerney Part 2: Contemporary Contexts 5 Early Manuscript Dissemination Jaakko Tahkokallio 6 Early Reactions to Geoffrey's Work Simon Meecham-Jones 7 The Latin Reception of the De gestis Britonum Sian Echard 8 Geoffrey of Monmouth's De gestis Britonum and Twelfth-Century Romance Francoise Le Saux 9 The Most Excellent Princes: Geoffrey of Monmouth and Medieval Welsh Historical Writing Owain Wyn Jones 10 Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Conventions of History Writing in Early 12th-Century England Georgia Henley Part 3: Approaches 11 Colonial Preoccupations in Geoffrey of Monmouth's De gestis Britonum Michael Faletra 12 Geoffrey and Gender: the Works of Geoffrey of Monmouth as Medieval "Feminism" Fiona Tolhurst 13 Geoffrey of Monmouth and Race Coral Lumbley 14 Religion and the Church in Geoffrey of Monmouth Barry Lewis Part 4: Reception 15 Geoffrey of Monmouth's Byzantine Reception Thomas H. Crofts 16 The De gestis Britonum in Castile Paloma Gracia 17 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Crown of Aragon Nahir I. Otano Gracia 18 The Middle Dutch Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth David F. Johnson 19 The English Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth Elizabeth Bryan 20 The Anglo-Norman and Continental French Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Corpus from the 12th to the 15th Centuries Jean Blacker 21 The German Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth Joshua Byron Smith 22 The Old Icelandic "Brut" Helene Tetrel 23 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in Ireland Joshua Byron Smith 24 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Work in Italy Fabrizio De Falco 25 Geoffrey of Monmouth in Portugal and Galicia Santiago Gutierrez Garcia 26 The Scottish Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth Victoria Shirley 27 The Reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth in Wales Ben Guy Bibliography Index