Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

1-2004

Keywords

Late-medieval mystery plays, Regional archival records in France.

Abstract

Published in the long-standing series Bibliotheque du XVe siecle, Graham A. Runnalls's volume on late-medieval mystery plays from the provinces of France reminds its readers that archival research remains essential to understanding these spectacles. In fact, Runnalls contends that too few scholars are studying the diverse and rich resources held in municipal and regional archival records in France. As our attitudes about medieval performance evolve, he maintains, so, too, should our assumptions about what the archival record has already yielded and what that record might still be able to tell us. Thus, while acknowledging that Louis Petit de Julleville's monumental contribution to the study of French mystery plays remains a major resource, Runnalls also notes that it is more than a century old, out of print, and reflects an anachronistic attitude (p. 8). The present volume consists of six studies intended to demonstrate the impact that archival records can have on existing assumptions.

Publication Title

Speculum – A Journal of Medieval Studies

Volume

79

Issue

1

First Page

268

Last Page

269

Required Publisher's Statement

Speculum / Volume 79 / Issue 01 / January 2004, pp 268-269
Copyright © The Medieval Academy of America 2004
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003871340009552X, Published online: May 2012

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Mysteries and miracle-plays, French--History and criticism; French literature--To 1500--History and criticism; French drama--To 1500--History and criticism

Subjects - Names (LCNAF)

Runnalls, Graham A. Les Mystères provinciaux

Geographic Coverage

France

Genre/Form

reviews (documents)

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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