Riassunto
Riassunto di Il Brut di Layamon
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love the Arthurian legend at its roots, enjoy old chronicles, or want to see how English survived and grew after 1066.
Che cos’è questo libro
Layamon's Brut is a long poem in English about the early kings of Britain. It was written around the year 1200 by a priest named Layamon, who lived at Areley on the River Severn. It runs to more than 16,000 lines and follows the island's story from the fall of Troy to the last British kings. Layamon drew mainly on Wace, a poet who wrote in French, and Wace in turn drew on Geoffrey of Monmouth. Layamon also names the English historian Bede among the books he consulted.
Why does it matter? It is the first long work in English to tell the legend of King Arthur, and it was composed in a world ruled by Norman French speakers. You get the founding of Britain by exiles from Troy, the tales of Leir and his daughters, the Saxon invasions, the wizard Merlin, and Arthur's rise. The verse is rough and strong, with old English habits of sound and rhythm. Let us begin with the poet himself and the purpose he sets for his work.
In questo riassunto
- 1A priest decides to record Britain's pastFree
- 2Brutus leads the Trojans to Albion
- 3Kings rise and fall before Rome arrives
- 4Vortigern, the Saxons and the boy Merlin
- 5Arthur is born, crowned and sweeps Europe
- 6Pride, loyalty and the sound of old verse
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A priest decides to record Britain's past
The poem opens with the poet himself. Layamon says he was a priest at a church on the bank of the Severn, near a place called Areley. He tells us he travelled widely across the land and wanted to learn the noble deeds of the English. That is how he describes it, though the people whose history he gathers are really the Britons who lived there long before.
He names the books he used. He took the English book of Saint Bede, and he took the French book of the poet Wace, who had given Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin history a lively verse form. Layamon laid these books out before him and turned the leaves, as he puts it, and then he wrote his own version. He did not simply translate. His poem is about twice as long as Wace's, and it adds scenes, speeches and details of its own.
The world around him matters. England had been ruled by Norman French lords for more than a century. Court poetry and many histories were written in French or Latin. Layamon chose English, and he chose an older style of English verse, built on strong beats and alliteration, rather than the neat rhymed lines of French poems. His language is full of old words and has few French borrowings.
This choice gives the poem its flavour. It reads like something from an earlier age, with warriors, ships, feasts and oaths, set down by a country priest who loved a good story. It also gives the work a quiet purpose. By writing in English about the deeds of kings long dead, Layamon keeps a memory alive that he feared might be lost.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Il Brut di Layamon
What is Layamon's Brut about?
It is a English poem about the legendary kings of Britain. It begins with Brutus, a Trojan exile who founds the nation, and moves through many reigns, including Leir, Vortigern and Arthur, to the late British kings.
Who was Layamon?
Layamon was a parish priest at Areley on the River Severn who wrote around 1200. He says he gathered books and wrote his own English version of the history of Britain. The Brut is the only work known to be his.
Is Layamon's Brut a true story?
No. It is a verse chronicle in the old style, mixing legend with real names and places. Its main sources, Wace and Geoffrey of Monmouth, are not reliable history, though the poem shows how people then imagined their past.
What does the word Brut mean in the title?
Brut is the name of Brutus, the legendary Trojan who founds Britain. Medieval chronicles of British history were called Bruts after him. Layamon's title means his poem is the history that begins with Brutus.
Is Layamon's Brut hard to read?
No. The story is clear and moves from one vivid scene to the next, with Brutus and the giants, King Leir and his daughters, Merlin, and then Arthur. Layamon is a priest who loved a good story, and each part is built around a strong event.