《不列颠诸王史》写作意图新解

A New Interpretation on the Writing Purposes of the Historia Regum Britanniae

蒙茅斯的杰佛里所著《不列颠诸王史》成书于12世纪30年代,主要叙述不列颠人的史事和墨林的预言。长期以来,学术界对该书的写作意图存在多种看法。通过对文本的梳理并结合相关写作背景可以看出,该书主要的写作目的应该在于通过对不列颠人历史和墨林预言的叙述,美化英格兰历史并说明内战的灾难性后果,呼吁盎格鲁ˉ诺曼贵族停止内战,达成和解。

The book Historia Regum Britanniae was written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 1230s and mainly deals with the history of the Bretons and the prophecies of Merlin.Historians have long debated the purposes of its composition.A Careful scrutiny of its texts and its writing contexts shows that the main purpose of it should be to embellish the history of England and explain the disastrous consequences of the civil war through the narration of British history and Merlin’s prophecies,and to call on the Anglo-Norman aristocrats to stop the civil war and reach a settlement.