‘Ure Bruttisce speche’: Language, Culture, and Conquest in LaƷamon’s Brut

Abstract

LaƷamon depicts the Britons as culturally inflexible and the English as culturally flexible throughout the Brut , suggesting that the English conquer Britain because they negotiate the relationship between culture and conquest more effectively. LaƷamon presents the Brut as both a model and a reflection of such constructive cultural interaction.