Middle English medical books as examples of discourse colonies: G.U.L Hunter 307

Abstract

This paper investigates the case of manuscript G.U.L. Hunter 307 as an example of a ‘discourse colony’. This concept refers to medieval books containing items which are apparently unconnected. By considering volumes as colonies, we can offer fresh theories as to how books were compiled and what their intended audience might have been. Texts analysed from the ‘colony’ perspective also help us to detect textual affiliations within a compendium, allowing us to identify more effectively scribal activities of copying, excerption and rephrasing.