- Published in print:
- 1986
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856682940
- eISBN:
- 9781800342729
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856682940.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Joseph wrote his epic around the year 1180, and revised it at the court of Henry II of England where he had obtained some sort of post through the influence of his uncle, Baldwin, Archbishop of ...
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Joseph wrote his epic around the year 1180, and revised it at the court of Henry II of England where he had obtained some sort of post through the influence of his uncle, Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury. The work is one of a series of texts in Latin and Anglo-Norman, apparently commissioned by the King, helping to trace back the Plantagenet line to the Trojans. It is a pendant to the Anglo-Norman Roman de Troie written by Benoit de Sainte-More in the 1160s. Joseph rejected the Vergilian 'mendacious poetic' account of the war in favour of the 'historical' narrative of Dares Phrygius, an 'eye-witness' of the events. This version not only coincided with the Plantagenets' preference for historical material but also presented Aeneas, the founder of the Romans, as a traitor. In Henry's struggles with the Pope over the Investiture problem any slur on the origins of the Romans could be useful ammunition. Books I–III cover the first Trojan war when Laomedon was besieged, the Judgement of Paris and the Rape of Helen. In style, Joseph closely resembles Lucan whom he had read “with an eye that allowed little to escape” (Raby), yet his imitation is far from servile. Sedgwick even goes so far as to say that Joseph “surpasses the bold constructions of Silver Latin.” Moreover, Joseph restores to epic the gods that Lucan had banished. The result is an epic that in the 17th century was still considered to have been written in the classical period. Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.Less
Joseph wrote his epic around the year 1180, and revised it at the court of Henry II of England where he had obtained some sort of post through the influence of his uncle, Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury. The work is one of a series of texts in Latin and Anglo-Norman, apparently commissioned by the King, helping to trace back the Plantagenet line to the Trojans. It is a pendant to the Anglo-Norman Roman de Troie written by Benoit de Sainte-More in the 1160s. Joseph rejected the Vergilian 'mendacious poetic' account of the war in favour of the 'historical' narrative of Dares Phrygius, an 'eye-witness' of the events. This version not only coincided with the Plantagenets' preference for historical material but also presented Aeneas, the founder of the Romans, as a traitor. In Henry's struggles with the Pope over the Investiture problem any slur on the origins of the Romans could be useful ammunition. Books I–III cover the first Trojan war when Laomedon was besieged, the Judgement of Paris and the Rape of Helen. In style, Joseph closely resembles Lucan whom he had read “with an eye that allowed little to escape” (Raby), yet his imitation is far from servile. Sedgwick even goes so far as to say that Joseph “surpasses the bold constructions of Silver Latin.” Moreover, Joseph restores to epic the gods that Lucan had banished. The result is an epic that in the 17th century was still considered to have been written in the classical period. Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.
S. P. Oakley
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198848721
- eISBN:
- 9780191883101
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198848721.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
After a brief introduction on stemmatic method, this book contains genealogical investigations of the textual traditions of Quintus Curtius Rufus and then Dictys Cretensis. The sections on each ...
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After a brief introduction on stemmatic method, this book contains genealogical investigations of the textual traditions of Quintus Curtius Rufus and then Dictys Cretensis. The sections on each author begin with a list of MSS and incunables that will be discussed (they number just over 150 for Curtius, about 80 for Dictys) and then a survey of existing scholarship. There then follows the classification of the MSS and incunables; most of the MSS of both authors were produced in Italy in the fifteenth-century. In the section on Curtius MSS B = Bern, Burgerbibliothek 451, Br = Brussels 10161, and A= Paris, lat. 5720, owned by Petrarch are shown to have been very productive. For Dictys it is argued that a stemma codicum can be established. First witnesses related to G = Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek 197 (these include an important lost MS of Poggio) are discussed, then those related to MS E, the codex Aesinas, owned by Stefano Guarnieri. There follows discussion of the archetype, of the way in which proper attention to the stemma codicum can improve the text, and of the excerpts from Dictys found in MSS of Dares.Less
After a brief introduction on stemmatic method, this book contains genealogical investigations of the textual traditions of Quintus Curtius Rufus and then Dictys Cretensis. The sections on each author begin with a list of MSS and incunables that will be discussed (they number just over 150 for Curtius, about 80 for Dictys) and then a survey of existing scholarship. There then follows the classification of the MSS and incunables; most of the MSS of both authors were produced in Italy in the fifteenth-century. In the section on Curtius MSS B = Bern, Burgerbibliothek 451, Br = Brussels 10161, and A= Paris, lat. 5720, owned by Petrarch are shown to have been very productive. For Dictys it is argued that a stemma codicum can be established. First witnesses related to G = Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek 197 (these include an important lost MS of Poggio) are discussed, then those related to MS E, the codex Aesinas, owned by Stefano Guarnieri. There follows discussion of the archetype, of the way in which proper attention to the stemma codicum can improve the text, and of the excerpts from Dictys found in MSS of Dares.
Frederic Clark
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- October 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190492304
- eISBN:
- 9780190492328
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190492304.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The First Pagan Historian traces the reception history of a text that is now largely neglected but once occupied a central role in the ancient canon—the De excidio Troiae historia or History of the ...
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The First Pagan Historian traces the reception history of a text that is now largely neglected but once occupied a central role in the ancient canon—the De excidio Troiae historia or History of the Destruction of Troy of one Dares Phrygius, who claimed to have been an eyewitness observer of the Trojan War. From late antiquity (when most scholars today now agree that the extant Latin version of the text was written) to the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, this study charts the many surprising twists and turns in the afterlife of an author long considered the first of the pagans to write history. It examines the subversive challenge that Dares posed to other ancient canonical traditions (especially the poetry of Homer and Virgil), and the manner in which Dares’s bold rewriting of the Troy story enabled centuries of postclassical readers to forge their own—sometimes radical—visions of the distant past. In doing so, The First Pagan Historian moves back and forth between the ancient world itself and various moments in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The book uses the fortunes of a forged text to interrogate approaches to history, fiction, myth, philology, criticism, authorship, and numerous other topics of profound importance to the interplay between antiquity and modernity.Less
The First Pagan Historian traces the reception history of a text that is now largely neglected but once occupied a central role in the ancient canon—the De excidio Troiae historia or History of the Destruction of Troy of one Dares Phrygius, who claimed to have been an eyewitness observer of the Trojan War. From late antiquity (when most scholars today now agree that the extant Latin version of the text was written) to the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, this study charts the many surprising twists and turns in the afterlife of an author long considered the first of the pagans to write history. It examines the subversive challenge that Dares posed to other ancient canonical traditions (especially the poetry of Homer and Virgil), and the manner in which Dares’s bold rewriting of the Troy story enabled centuries of postclassical readers to forge their own—sometimes radical—visions of the distant past. In doing so, The First Pagan Historian moves back and forth between the ancient world itself and various moments in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The book uses the fortunes of a forged text to interrogate approaches to history, fiction, myth, philology, criticism, authorship, and numerous other topics of profound importance to the interplay between antiquity and modernity.
A. K. Bate and A. K. Bate (eds)
- Published in print:
- 1986
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856682940
- eISBN:
- 9781800342729
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856682940.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter introduces the Latin poet named Joseph of Exeter, who is considered a shadowy figure from the twelfth century despite his obvious abilities in the field of literature. It discusses ...
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This chapter introduces the Latin poet named Joseph of Exeter, who is considered a shadowy figure from the twelfth century despite his obvious abilities in the field of literature. It discusses Joseph's Books I to III of his epic on the Trojan War titled Ylias Daretis Phrygii or De Bello Trojano, which he composed in the first years of the 1180s. It also reviews the source material for Joseph's epic that comes from the De Excidio Troiae Historia of Dares Phrygius. This chapter explains that Book I deals with the first destruction of Troy by Hercules and his followers in retaliation for the lack of hospitality shown by King Laomedon. It covers Book II, which recounts Trojans' plans for revenge, and Book III, which contains the account of Paris' expedition to Greece and his abduction of Helen.Less
This chapter introduces the Latin poet named Joseph of Exeter, who is considered a shadowy figure from the twelfth century despite his obvious abilities in the field of literature. It discusses Joseph's Books I to III of his epic on the Trojan War titled Ylias Daretis Phrygii or De Bello Trojano, which he composed in the first years of the 1180s. It also reviews the source material for Joseph's epic that comes from the De Excidio Troiae Historia of Dares Phrygius. This chapter explains that Book I deals with the first destruction of Troy by Hercules and his followers in retaliation for the lack of hospitality shown by King Laomedon. It covers Book II, which recounts Trojans' plans for revenge, and Book III, which contains the account of Paris' expedition to Greece and his abduction of Helen.
A. K. Bate (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 1986
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856682940
- eISBN:
- 9781800342729
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856682940.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter provides the commentary for Joseph of Exeter's The Trojan War, which includes Iliadum lacrimas or the author's use for various synonyms for Troy or Trojan. It explains the two wars that ...
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This chapter provides the commentary for Joseph of Exeter's The Trojan War, which includes Iliadum lacrimas or the author's use for various synonyms for Troy or Trojan. It explains the two wars that refer to the first sacking of Troy by Hercules and the second by Agamemnon and the humble voice as a self-deprecation or 'humility topos' that is regularly employed by medieval writers. It also contains the laughter of the mob and several other derogatory references to the lower classes that show that Joseph was unhappy about his origins. The chapter mentions Dares, who was supposed to have been an eyewitness to the second Trojan War and a much more reliable source than Homer or Virgil. It talks about the bride Medea, who helped Jason in his expedition to Colchis to obtain the Golden Fleece.Less
This chapter provides the commentary for Joseph of Exeter's The Trojan War, which includes Iliadum lacrimas or the author's use for various synonyms for Troy or Trojan. It explains the two wars that refer to the first sacking of Troy by Hercules and the second by Agamemnon and the humble voice as a self-deprecation or 'humility topos' that is regularly employed by medieval writers. It also contains the laughter of the mob and several other derogatory references to the lower classes that show that Joseph was unhappy about his origins. The chapter mentions Dares, who was supposed to have been an eyewitness to the second Trojan War and a much more reliable source than Homer or Virgil. It talks about the bride Medea, who helped Jason in his expedition to Colchis to obtain the Golden Fleece.
S. P. Oakley
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198848721
- eISBN:
- 9780191883101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198848721.003.0024
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The MSS of Dares that contain excerpts of Dictys are listed, their inter-relationships are established, and there is discussion of their contribution to the editing of the text.
The MSS of Dares that contain excerpts of Dictys are listed, their inter-relationships are established, and there is discussion of their contribution to the editing of the text.
S. P. Oakley
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198848721
- eISBN:
- 9780191883101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198848721.003.0025
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
There is discussion of Enoch of Ascoli and the codex Aesinas, of the opening of the epistle, and of the family of G (Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek 197) in Dares.
There is discussion of Enoch of Ascoli and the codex Aesinas, of the opening of the epistle, and of the family of G (Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek 197) in Dares.
Marilynn Desmond
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199587230
- eISBN:
- 9780191820410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587230.003.0013
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Although the Homeric epics were unknown in the medieval Latin West, textual treatments of the matter of Troy nonetheless circulated widely, in Latin as well as vernacular literatures. The narrative ...
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Although the Homeric epics were unknown in the medieval Latin West, textual treatments of the matter of Troy nonetheless circulated widely, in Latin as well as vernacular literatures. The narrative traditions on the Trojan War and its aftermath were transmitted to the Latin West by two Latin prose texts, Dares’ De excidio Troiae historia, and Dictys’ Ephemeris belli Trojani. In the twelfth century, Benoît de Sainte-Maure took both Dares’ and Dictys’ texts as source texts for his Roman de Troie. The Roman de Troie became in turn the source text for late medieval versions of the fall of Troy, in Latin as well as the vernacular. In the textual traditions based on the Roman de Troie, the narrative of Troilus and Criseyde replaces that of Helen and Paris as the iconic love story contextualized by the Trojan War. This tradition produced Boccaccio’s Filostrato, Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, and Lydgate’s Laud Troy Book.Less
Although the Homeric epics were unknown in the medieval Latin West, textual treatments of the matter of Troy nonetheless circulated widely, in Latin as well as vernacular literatures. The narrative traditions on the Trojan War and its aftermath were transmitted to the Latin West by two Latin prose texts, Dares’ De excidio Troiae historia, and Dictys’ Ephemeris belli Trojani. In the twelfth century, Benoît de Sainte-Maure took both Dares’ and Dictys’ texts as source texts for his Roman de Troie. The Roman de Troie became in turn the source text for late medieval versions of the fall of Troy, in Latin as well as the vernacular. In the textual traditions based on the Roman de Troie, the narrative of Troilus and Criseyde replaces that of Helen and Paris as the iconic love story contextualized by the Trojan War. This tradition produced Boccaccio’s Filostrato, Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, and Lydgate’s Laud Troy Book.
