Opus oratorium L’écriture de l’histoire et l’exigence littéraire dans le Moyen Âge latin

As Paul Ricoeur has reminded us, historical narration does not reduce itself to the literal reproduction of past facts, but organises them in accordance with rhetorical principles. As such, it assumes an aesthetic dimension which explains why it was considered an annex of literature until the arrival of “scientific” history in the nineteenth century. Medieval historiography is no exception: we consider the stylistic strategies of William of Malmesbury, Guibert of Nogent, and Geoffroy of Monmouth in this light.