Seminar 17: Beyond Poetry: The Alliterative Prose Style of Tristrams Saga (April 8th) - Marusca Francini

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We are delighted to invite you to the 17th session of our international seminar series Entangled Histories: Borders and Cultural Encounters from the Medieval to the Contemporary Era.

This week, we move to the court of Bergen in 1226 to explore the fascinating linguistic and stylistic border-crossing between Anglo-Norman metrical romance and Old Norse prose.

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🕒 SPECIAL NOTICE: UPDATED START TIME

Please note that due to specific organizational commitments, this session will start one hour later than our usual slot: START TIME: 18:00 CET (Rome Time)

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SEMINAR 17: PROF. MARUSCA FRANCINI

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Time: 18:00 CET (Rome Time)

Talk Title: Beyond Poetry: The Alliterative Prose Style of "Tristrams Saga"

Abstract

Bridging French Verse and Old Norse Prose Tristrams Saga is the condensed Norwegian prose rendition of the Anglo-Norman metrical romance Tristan written by Thomas of Brittany, the quintessential love story of the European Middle Ages. Translated in 1226 at the court of Bergen by Brother Robert at the behest of King Hákon ‘The Old’, this shift from verse to alliterative prose was influenced by inherited local literary conventions, such as skaldic verse and the prosimetric Íslendingasögur. Building on the notions of aurality and focalization, the talk will deal with the stylistic device of alliteration, employed by Robert to bridge the gap between French verse and Old Norse prose.

About the Speaker

Marusca Francini is Associate Professor of Germanic Philology at the University of Pavia (Department of Humanities). Her extensive research focuses on the Gothic tradition, medieval Bible translations, Anglo-Saxon poetry, and Old Norse literature. An active member of the Italian Association of Germanic Philology (AIFG) and the International Arthurian Society (IAS), her scholarly output includes prestigious critical editions such as the Saga di Björn (2004) and the Gothic (2009) and Anglo-Saxon (2019) Gospels of John. Her expertise in the transmission of medieval texts and cultural memory makes her one of the leading voices in the study of Germanic philological traditions in Italy.

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