Exploring the historical imagination through medieval and early modern writers and texts, from Christian historians such as Bede to secular chronicles, Geoffrey of Monmouth to Chaucer and Malory, Imagining History in Medieval Britain moves away from a chronological approach to assess the writing of history thematically. Chapters are designed to be comprehensive in mapping the major texts of medieval historical writing but are also intended to challenge current understandings by juxtaposing texts with themes which are informed by the postmodern sense of crisis in historical representation. The book frames its exploration of medieval history writing with reference to key thinkers of contemporary historiographical theory including Foucault, de Certeau, Collingwood and Hayden White.

While introducing students to the main currents of medieval history writing, this book also challenges the strictures imposed by the discipline of history as it has emerged since the 18th century. Sidebars pose additional methodological and theoretical questions and each chapter contains suggestions for further reading.