Adaptations of Roman Epic in Medieval Ireland Three Studies in the Interplay of Erudition and Oral Tradition
| Author: | Harris, John | |
| Year: | 1998 | |
| Pages: | 252 | |
| ISBN: | 0-7734-8285-7 978-0-7734-8285-2 | |
| Price: | $199.95 + shipping | |
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This is the first book-length project to examine, side by side and through close textual analysis, the medieval adaptations of Vergil, Lucan, and Statius from Latin into Irish Gaelic. By juxtaposing the Imtheachta Aeniasa, In Cath Catharda, and the Togail na Tebe more closely to the Aeneid, the Bellum Civile, and the Thevaid than has ever been done, Harris is able to detect patterns of nuance in all three adaptations which go beyond the obviously historical generalizations about times and customs.
Reviews
". . . . a discussion of orality in literacy in medieval Irish tradition; the continuity of pagan, Indo-European motifs vs. borrowed biblical and Christian themes, and adaptation of learned classical material to an Irish milieu. John Harris masterfully brings all these elements to bear in his textual study of these works, examining thegn within both the classical rhetorical and the Irish vernacular traditions. In addition, he provides useful commentaries on their relation to other medieval and early modern reworkings of classical material . . . quite useful for students of medieval Irish saga, as well as medievalists in general, and those interested in theories of translation and adaptation." - James E. Doan
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Translation and Imitation
2. Dating Manuscripts and Estimating Origins
3. Orality and Literacy in Medieval Ireland
4. Imtheachta Aeniasa: Aeneas the Traitor and Narrative Consistency
5. In Cath Catharda: Lucan Made Traditional
6. In Togail na Tebe: Warring Styles Behind the War at Thebes
7. Conclusion
Appendix A: Pagan Gods in the German Eneit
Appendix B: Lucan's Epic in Norman French
Appendix C: The Irish Adaptation of Statius' Achilleid
Bibliography, Index
1. Translation and Imitation
2. Dating Manuscripts and Estimating Origins
3. Orality and Literacy in Medieval Ireland
4. Imtheachta Aeniasa: Aeneas the Traitor and Narrative Consistency
5. In Cath Catharda: Lucan Made Traditional
6. In Togail na Tebe: Warring Styles Behind the War at Thebes
7. Conclusion
Appendix A: Pagan Gods in the German Eneit
Appendix B: Lucan's Epic in Norman French
Appendix C: The Irish Adaptation of Statius' Achilleid
Bibliography, Index