BARBARIANS AT THE GATE! CELTI, ANGLOSASSONI E GOTI NELLA RIFLESSIONE IDENTITARIA DEL SEICENTO INGLESE

Beyond its impact on the religious sphere, Reformation reconnected the threads of a European debate that had long waned. Throughout the European Renaissance that discussion generated articulated overviews of stereotypes and identity paradigms, thus producing relevant stimuli in the contemporary cultural reflection. In the course of its development, a series of attitudes arose, including the re-appropriation of the local past and the phenomenon of ‘historical’ rewriting, which is still vital in present-day manifestations encompassed under the so-called ‘Medievalism’. My project focusses on the reception of the local Middle Ages in 17th century English culture in connection with a linguistic, literary and ideological revival of the various identities, starting from Arthurian and Alfredian myths and finally including the suggestions aroused by the Viking phenomenon and the following reinterpretation of Scandinavian myths.