Richard of Devizes's Cronicon, Menippean Satire, and the Jews of Winchester

Abstract

This article reconsiders the critical orthodoxy concerning the genre of Richard of Devizes's Cronicon Richardi Divisensis de Tempore Regis Richardi Primi, suggesting that in this chronicle Richard of Devizes engages with the tropes of Menippean satire. Drawing in particular on Bakhtin's analysis of Menippean satire, it further suggests that this new understanding of the genre of the Cronicon has important implications for understanding Richard of Devizes's historiography in general, but more specifically for understanding his account of the accusation in 1192 of ritual murder against the Jews of Winchester, for which he is the sole witness.