Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the interaction between the cleric singing in churches and cathedrals, and the joglar singing in the secular court. It also examines the evidence for clerical parody, and the theoretical approaches which can be adopted when dealing with parody of the sacred. The book considers the role of propaganda and politics in certain forms of intertextual appropriation. It outlines a specific corpus of songs in the troubadour lyric that share close intertextual connections, and a close link with the liturgical sequence. The book addresses issues of recognition and recollection of form in this respect, with reference to the role of both scribes and performers. It presents two forms of parodic rewriting: aiming to recuperate, and to destroy its models. The book explores the relationship of the versified sermon with parodic texts, negotiating the space between the joglar and the preacher.