Jun YAMAMOTO

1) German-Speaking Medieval Heroic Epics

These stories, which originated from historical events during the Germanic Migration period and were orally transmitted through the Middle Ages, served as historical lore for the laity. The heroes depicted in these tales represented the ethical norms of the warrior aristocracy. However, from the late 12th century onward, heroic epics, which were composed as written literary works based on these heroic traditions, shifted from oral to written media. These epics were then integrated into the context of medieval courtly knightly culture and Christianity. My research addresses issues such as the contemporaneity of heroic traditions in the Middle Ages, associated authorship, and relationship between historicity and fictionality in heroic epics.

2) Reception History of Medieval Literature

Medieval vernacular literature, especially heroic epics based on indigenous German-speaking material, has been received since the 19th century in a manner closely tied to national identity. By examining the research history and adaptations of heroic epics in modern times, as well as their positioning within the narrative of literary history, research on this topic seeks to illuminate various aspects of nationalism in the modern German-speaking world.