A PH.D. Thesis about the Irish monk and poet Flann Mainistrech, completed by Eystein Thanisch

                                                                          

From Eystein Thanisch

I am delighted to announce that my PhD thesis, "The Reception and Use of Flann Mainistrech and His Work in Medieval Gaelic Manuscript Culture", is now freely available online. It has been described as "original", "in-depth", "dense", and "sexy" (please note that the lattermost term was originally applied specifically to the binding of the submitted physical copy, so isn't necessarily applicable here wink emoticon ).

Overview:

This thesis asks what authority and authorship might mean in the context of medieval Gaelic historiography and early printed works based thereupon, via a case study of the textual afterlife of the oft-cited historical scholar, Flann Mainistrech (d. 1056) - his biography, as he exists in later perceptions. With all the usual caveats, I conclude that Flann's authority was based around perceptions of him as a reader and collaborator; scholarly authority, in medieval Gaelic tradition, could be about networks, as well as great individuals; about the ability to comprehend, as well as innate genius. '[Authorities] are not mystified ancients at the tradition’s origins but relatively recent scholars who have gained command of it through textual study' (Vol. I, p. 112). For me, this all seemed very empowering.

I hope there is something in it for everyone: please enjoy, comment and share 

                                           FLANN MAINISTREACH   (Eystein Thanisch's Ph.D. thesis)



                                                               

                                  LOTS OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION