| Popis: |
The medieval Irish chronicles are documentary sources of the highest importance. They provide contemporary records of major political events from the late sixth century AD. Each entry is anchored in a wealth of place-name references and, literally, thousands of death notices, providing a dataset whose scale is suitable for the application of network theory. This chapter will take one prominent group from the chronicles as a case study, the literate elite who produced most of our sources. It will explore how network theory can enhance our understanding of them, and will also consider the extent to which their networks are mirrored in the literary sources in which they feature. How are their social networks depicted in narrative texts? Do these appear to be realistic or are they idealized? By considering one definable group, the literate elite, this chapter aims to provide a framework through which network theory can be more widely and usefully employed. |
