Journal article
A voice from beyond the grave: the prose preface to the Old English Boethius and the cult of King Alfred
- Abstract:
-
Though typically regarded by modern scholars as a muddled and unimpressive piece of writing, the Prose Preface to the Old English Boethius has also usually been read as the work of King Alfred himself and cited as evidence for his composition of the translation that follows. The first part of this article demonstrates how the Prose Preface draws on a wide range of earlier Alfredian writing to create an image of Alfred as a scholar-king who suffered great hardships during his reign. The second section situates the composition of the preface in the turbulent early years of Edward the Elder’s reign, a period marked by concerted efforts to promote Alfred’s image as a saintly ruler and dynastic father-figure.
- Publication status:
- Accepted
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Authors
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0505m1554
- Grant:
- AH/Y003276/1
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Journal:
- Early Medieval England and its Neighbours More from this journal
- Acceptance date:
- 2026-03-05
- EISSN:
-
3033-3679
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
2385454
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2385454
- Deposit date:
-
2026-03-05
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Notes:
- This article has been accepted for publication in Early Medieval England and its Neighbours.
If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record