Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Alain Renoir. "Germanic Quintessence: The Theme of Isolation in the Hildebrandslied." In Saints, Scholars, and Heroes: Studies in Medieval Culture in Honour of Charles W. Jones, vol. 2. Ed. Margot King and Wesley M. Stevens. Collegeville, MN: Hill Monastic Manuscript Library and St. John's Abbey and University. pp. 143-78.

Discusses the theme of separation in the OHG poem against a comparative context in other medieval Germanic works such as Beowulf, Nibelungenlied, Maldon, and so forth. Intensification of the separation makes it isolation, and part of the power of the poem stems from its oral-formulaic structure and context.
Area: OHG, OE, MHG, GM, CP