Poetic prologues

It is often assumed that medieval writers approach history naively. Medieval chronicles, it is argued, reveal an allegorical disposition that denies the importance of factual verification. While this position holds true to a degree, it also ignores some complex and fascinating perspectives on the past. In this study, one such perspective is examined by means of literary narratives, mostly from the 12th and 14th centuries. More specifically, this study shows how medieval writers reshape historiographical conventions in their literary narratives to explore historical understanding, which they present as inexorably tied to literary creativity.