Dartmouth presents “From Medieval Britain to Dartmouth: Situating the English Brut Tradition” on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21. The conference is dedicated to the introduction of the Dartmouth Brut Chronicle manuscript, which records a comprehensive version of British history from the Trojans to King Arthur to Henry V.
Dartmouth acquired its rare c. 1425 copy of the Brut Chronicle from a private source, making this conference the first time the Dartmouth Brut has been widely examined by scholars.
“The Dartmouth Brut is part of a rich tradition of history writing in medieval England, but it is also a unique document,” says conference organizer Michelle R. Warren, professor of comparative literature. “By comparing this manuscript to others, we can refine our understanding of how people understood the past, how they made and used books, and how varied the life of a single document can be.” She continues: “These lessons are pertinent today as our relationships with texts change with each technological innovation. Indeed, this conference wouldn’t have been possible without the digitization of the manuscript.”
Click here to read this article from Dartmouth College
