Historical Fabrication, Ethnic Fable and French Romance in Twelfth-Century England by David Rollo (review)

running head david rollo, Historical Fabrication, Ethnic Fable and French Romance in TwelfthCentury EngUnd. Volume 9, The Edward C. Armstrong Monographs On Medieval Literature, Karl D. Uitti, gen. ed. Lexington, Kentucky: French Forum, Publishers, 1998. Pp. 334. isbn: 0-917058-91-7. $34.50. David Rollos examination ofthe development ofwhat he terms 'pseudepigraphy'— 'any fabrication that discloses its own duplicity and confronts ethnic or social tensions'—in twelfth-century England (Introduction 19) is impressive for a number ofreasons. First, it develops an original and convincing reading ofall ofthe following authors and works: William of Malmesbury (Gesta regum Anglorum), Geoffrey of Monmouth (Historia regum Britanniae), Wace (Le Roman de Brut and Le Roman de Rou), Benoît de Sainte-Maure (Le Roman de Troie and La Chronique des ducs de Normandie), Gerald of Wales (Topographia Hibernica, Expugnatio Hibernica, Itinerarium Kambriae, Descriptio Kambriae, De invectionibus, and De principis instructione), and William of Ncwburgh (Historia rerum Anglicarum). Second, this reading is grounded in painstaking comparative analysis ofthe works ofeach author listed above as well as ofrelevant source texts. Third, it offers key insights into both the self-conscious process of crafting pseudepigraphy and each author's response to Norman power, particularly that of Henry II, with which all scholars interested in these works should become familiar. Consequently, I would position Rollos work as I do Robert W Hanning's The Vision ofHistory in Early Britain : as one ofthe most useful studies of Insular historiography yet produced. Despite its great merits, however, this book has some significant weaknesses. First, although usually lucid and precise, Rollos language at times is too dense. The weight ofpolysyllabic and theoretical words nearly crushes the sense in a sentence like this one: 'This prescriptive force then diegetically resurfaces as a divinely-fashioned truth, to be disclosed in all its inevitability by a restricted group capable of probing the "segreiz" of phenomenological signifiers' (200). Although clear in its context, a sentence like this distracts the reader from the flow ofthe author's argument. Second, there is occasional imbalance of coverage within a chapter. At times, further justification of a point is needed, but at others the author provides so much detail that the thread ofthe argument is nearly lost. One example ofthe former problem is Rollos inadequately supported claim that the 'primary distinction' Geoffrey of Monmouth tries to 'emphasize' is 'the gulfseparating past and present, stability and anarchy, unity and fragmentation' (123). Given both that many scholars follow Hanning's lead in seeing Geoffrey as presenting a cycle of'stability and anarchy,' and that Geoffrey seems to blend past and present self-consciously when he underscores Mordred's betrayal ofArthur that echoes Stephens betrayal of Henry I, this claim requires justification. An example of the latter problem occurs in the analysis of Gerald of Wales when the reader gets overwhelmed by the level of detail in the analysis of Gerald's debt to Alain de Lille (256-65). The third weakness is likewise one ofimbalance ofcoverage. In a book that traces the development ofpseudepigraphy and generally allots one or two substantial chapters to each author discussed, it is surprising how little coverage Geoffrey of Monmouth receives (one chapter of 24 arthuriana pages, 18 of text) and how much Benoît de Sainte-Maure receives (four chapters of 80 pages, 72 oftext). With more complete coverage ofthe former and more condensed coverage ofthe latter the book would be better balanced, read more smoothly, and be yet more convincing. Finally, better editing ofthis bookwould have eliminated most, ifnot all, of the weaknesses discussed here, and would have made it more accessible to readers. These flaws, however, do not substantially detract from the solid, original analysis Rollo offers. The Introduction offers a coherent overview of chapters to follow and the investigation of 'sepulchral archeology' in chapters I, II and III is original and convincing. It demonstrates how Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum develops the themes of'corporeal and linguistic transfer' (33) present inWilliam ofMalmesbury's Gesta regum. The chapters on Wace (IV and V) offer the most compelling and sophisticated reading ofWacc's Roman de Brutand RomandeRou this reader has seen and will no doubt spur further study of these works currently...