- Classics, Philology, Classical Reception Studies, Greek Literature, Latin Language and Literature, Neo-latin literature, and 11 moreLatin Literature, History of Mentalities, Mountain & mountaineering literature, Medieval Latin & Neo-Latin, Early Modern History, Renaissance Studies, Landscape, Renaissance, Travel Literature, Early Modern Intellectual History, and Renaissance Humanismedit
- Assistant Professor at the Institute for Classical Philology and Neo-Latin Studies, University of Innsbruck. Currentl... moreAssistant Professor at the Institute for Classical Philology and Neo-Latin Studies, University of Innsbruck. Currently leading the research project ΛΑΓΩΟΣ dedicated to the ‘secret’ Greek diary of Hellenist Karl Benedikt Hase, running 2023–2028.
William’s current research interests focus on use of Ancient Greek by writers from the Renaissance into the modern period. His earlier work concerned itself with late-antique poetry, the representation of the natural environment in early modern literature, and the place of the Classical languages in the history of science.edit
Latin–Greek (and Greek–Latin) code-switching – the practice of alternating between Latin and Greek within a single unit of communication – has received its fair share of attention among scholars of Classical literature. Existing work in... more
Latin–Greek (and Greek–Latin) code-switching – the practice of alternating between Latin and Greek within a single unit of communication – has received its fair share of attention among scholars of Classical literature. Existing work in this field has shown that alternating between the languages had a markedly ambiguous place in ancient society: Code-switching could operate as a marker for elite discourse in Rome and serve as a symbol for calling on the authority of respected writers in certain literary genres. Simultaneously, the use of Greek could indicate affection among well-educated Romans, but it could also be viewed as untrue to the patria, and even as the language of slaves in radicalized political settings.
Despite this interest among Classicists, the early modern phenomenon of Latin–Greek code-switching in Neo-Latin and New Ancient Greek literature has yet to become the object of dedicated study. The oversight is surprising: the widespread presence of Ancient Greek in Neo-Latin texts is immediately evident to readers of humanist dialogues, baroque tractatus, eighteenth-century handbooks, or early modern letter collections. Moreover, authors of new Greek texts in western Europe’s early modern period had invariably—indeed, almost unavoidably—also had extensive training in Latin.
The workshop “Latin–Greek Code-Switching in Early Modernity” (held at KU Leuven 13–14 October 2022 and funded by the Scientific Research Network (SRN) “Literatures without Borders” from the RELICS Group (Ghent), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies (Innsbruck) and the Flemish FWO (KU Leuven) aimed to make a first step towards filling this gap.
This first special issue (out of three) explores the results of applying the concept of code-switching to early modern uses of Latin and Greek in the writing of four authors from western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeen centuries. The articles make clear that the phenomenon, as could be expected on the basis of the classical model, is prominent in Neo-Latin correspondence, but goes way beyond ancient practices, appearing in poetry and prose in a diverse range of forms, and responding a broad array of specifically early modern cultural discourses. The following second and third issues will widen this perspective substantially to include studies on the phenomenon of Latin–Greek code-switching in the multilingual early modern world from the early sixteenth century to the nineteenth century across Europe.
Despite this interest among Classicists, the early modern phenomenon of Latin–Greek code-switching in Neo-Latin and New Ancient Greek literature has yet to become the object of dedicated study. The oversight is surprising: the widespread presence of Ancient Greek in Neo-Latin texts is immediately evident to readers of humanist dialogues, baroque tractatus, eighteenth-century handbooks, or early modern letter collections. Moreover, authors of new Greek texts in western Europe’s early modern period had invariably—indeed, almost unavoidably—also had extensive training in Latin.
The workshop “Latin–Greek Code-Switching in Early Modernity” (held at KU Leuven 13–14 October 2022 and funded by the Scientific Research Network (SRN) “Literatures without Borders” from the RELICS Group (Ghent), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies (Innsbruck) and the Flemish FWO (KU Leuven) aimed to make a first step towards filling this gap.
This first special issue (out of three) explores the results of applying the concept of code-switching to early modern uses of Latin and Greek in the writing of four authors from western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeen centuries. The articles make clear that the phenomenon, as could be expected on the basis of the classical model, is prominent in Neo-Latin correspondence, but goes way beyond ancient practices, appearing in poetry and prose in a diverse range of forms, and responding a broad array of specifically early modern cultural discourses. The following second and third issues will widen this perspective substantially to include studies on the phenomenon of Latin–Greek code-switching in the multilingual early modern world from the early sixteenth century to the nineteenth century across Europe.
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Presenting a range of Neo-Latin poems written by distinguished classical scholars across Europe from c. 1490 to c. 1900, this anthology includes a selection of celebrated names in the history of scholarship. Individual chapters present... more
Presenting a range of Neo-Latin poems written by distinguished classical scholars across Europe from c. 1490 to c. 1900, this anthology includes a selection of celebrated names in the history of scholarship. Individual chapters present the Neo-Latin poems alongside new English translations (usually the first) and accompanying introductions and commentaries that annotate these verses for a modern readership, and contextualise them within the careers of their authors and the history of classical scholarship in the Renaissance and early modern period.
An appealing feature of Renaissance and early modern Latinity is the composition of fine Neo-Latin poetry by major classical scholars, and the interface between this creative work and their scholarly research. In some cases, the two are actually combined in the same work. In others, the creative composition and scholarship accompany each other along parallel tracks, when scholars are moved to write their own verse in the style of the subjects of their academic endeavours. In still further cases, early modern scholars produced fine Latin verse as a result of the act of translation, as they attempted to render ancient Greek poetry in a fitting poetic form for their contemporary readers of Latin.
An appealing feature of Renaissance and early modern Latinity is the composition of fine Neo-Latin poetry by major classical scholars, and the interface between this creative work and their scholarly research. In some cases, the two are actually combined in the same work. In others, the creative composition and scholarship accompany each other along parallel tracks, when scholars are moved to write their own verse in the style of the subjects of their academic endeavours. In still further cases, early modern scholars produced fine Latin verse as a result of the act of translation, as they attempted to render ancient Greek poetry in a fitting poetic form for their contemporary readers of Latin.
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Pascasius Justus Turcq was born in the Flemish town of Eeklo. As a young man, he travelled through Spain before devoting himself to the study of philosophy and medicine in Italy. On gaining his doctorate, he returned north and settled in... more
Pascasius Justus Turcq was born in the Flemish town of Eeklo. As a young man, he travelled through Spain before devoting himself to the study of philosophy and medicine in Italy. On gaining his doctorate, he returned north and settled in Bergen-op-Zoom, where he worked as a physician and eventually became the city’s mayor. He attended to William the Silent as one of the physicians who worked to save the Prince’s life after the assassination attempt of 1582.
Alongside tales of gambling princes and perceptive accounts of the mental suffering experienced by problem gamblers, Pascasius’ De alea is remarkable for its singular insights into 16th-century medical science. Basing himself on the authority of the ancient, late-antique and mediaeval traditions, Pascasius first fuses discrete theoretical systems into an innovative framework, allowing him to propose a novel description of compulsive gambling as a psychological disorder. Secondly, Pascasius articulates a series of pioneering cures. He describes this therapy in cognitive terms reminiscent of approaches to non-substance addiction in use today.
On Gambling was routinely referenced in scholarship on gambling into the 18th century before disappearing almost entirely from view. Newly available here, with a critical Latin text and English translation, On Gambling epitomises the creative potential of 16th-century medical humanism.
Alongside tales of gambling princes and perceptive accounts of the mental suffering experienced by problem gamblers, Pascasius’ De alea is remarkable for its singular insights into 16th-century medical science. Basing himself on the authority of the ancient, late-antique and mediaeval traditions, Pascasius first fuses discrete theoretical systems into an innovative framework, allowing him to propose a novel description of compulsive gambling as a psychological disorder. Secondly, Pascasius articulates a series of pioneering cures. He describes this therapy in cognitive terms reminiscent of approaches to non-substance addiction in use today.
On Gambling was routinely referenced in scholarship on gambling into the 18th century before disappearing almost entirely from view. Newly available here, with a critical Latin text and English translation, On Gambling epitomises the creative potential of 16th-century medical humanism.
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This study provides a critical edition of the Pervigilium Veneris with a Latin text, translation and commentary. This late-antique poem, the 'Vigil of Venus', is of unknown date and authorship. It exists in four heavily corrupted... more
This study provides a critical edition of the Pervigilium Veneris with a Latin text, translation and commentary. This late-antique poem, the 'Vigil of Venus', is of unknown date and authorship. It exists in four heavily corrupted manuscripts, including the Codex Salmasianus, as part of a collection of later Latin poetry compiled around the 6th Century AD. Considerable attention has been paid to the piece since its first edition in the 16th century, largely on account of its singularity, mysterious origins and enigmatic final stanza, in which the poet suddenly bursts into the piece lamenting his 'lost muse'.
Despite this scholarly interest, much work remained to be done in order to arrive at a more solid text of the poem and a more complete understanding of its meaning. This new edition, with detailed commentary notes and a full introduction to the historical and literary contexts of the poem, furthers our knowledge by offering new perspectives and analysis, incorporating existing scholarship and reviving ideas that had previously been set aside.
Despite this scholarly interest, much work remained to be done in order to arrive at a more solid text of the poem and a more complete understanding of its meaning. This new edition, with detailed commentary notes and a full introduction to the historical and literary contexts of the poem, furthers our knowledge by offering new perspectives and analysis, incorporating existing scholarship and reviving ideas that had previously been set aside.
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In the Early Modern period man's relationship to nature changed dramatically. An important part of this change occurred in the way that beauty was perceived in the natural world and in the particular features which became privileged... more
In the Early Modern period man's relationship to nature changed dramatically. An important part of this change occurred in the way that beauty was perceived in the natural world and in the particular features which became privileged objects of aesthetic gratification. This study explores the shift in aesthetic attitude towards the mountain that took place between 1450 and 1750. Over the course of these 300 years the mountain transformed from a fearful and ugly place, to one of beauty and splendour. Accepted scholarly opinion claims that this change took place in the vernacular literature of the early and mid-18th century. Based on previously unknown and unstudied material, this volume now contends that it took place earlier in the Latin literature of the late Renaissance and Early Modern period. The aesthetic attitude shift towards the mountain had its catalysts in two broad spheres: the development of an idea of 'landscape' in the geographical and artistic traditions of the 16th century on the one hand, and the increasing amount of scientific and theological investigation dedicated to the mountain on the other, reaching a pinnacle in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The new Latin evidence for the change in aesthetic attitude towards the mountain unearthed in the course of this study brings new material to light which is relevant for the current philosophical debate in environmental aesthetics. The book's concluding chapter shows how understanding the processes that produced the late Renaissance and Early Modern shift in aesthetic attitude towards the mountain can reveal important information about the modern aesthetic appreciation of nature. Alongside a standard bibliography of primary literature, this volume also offers an extended annotated bibliography of further Latin texts on the mountains from the Renaissance and Early Modern period. This critical bibliography is the first of its kind and constitutes an essential tool for further study in the field.
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Alongside his enormous output of works in the fields of grammar, rhetoric, language learning, history, geography, cosmography, textual scholarship and religious writing, Nebrija’s poetic production throughout his career was also... more
Alongside his enormous output of works in the fields of grammar, rhetoric, language learning, history, geography, cosmography, textual scholarship and religious writing, Nebrija’s poetic production throughout his career was also considerable. Published as part of the paratextual material to his prose works, or occasionally in separate volumes, these poems belonged very much to Nebrija’s output as a scholar in the eyes of contemporary readers. Already by 1491 Nebrija had instructed a student to compile and edit a selection of his Carmina, which appeared in Salamanca. The poems included an epithalamium on the marriage of Princess Isabella with Alfonso I of Portugal, a poem addressed to the ancient ruins in Mérida and a poem in praise of the scholar’s home country, the Salutatio ad patriam. The two poems treated in this chapter reveal the extent to which Nebrija’s ideas as a classical philologist found common expression in his scholarly works and his poetry.
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Malgré l’accès limité aux exemples, les jugements des chercheurs sur l’utilisation du grec par Hase dans son journal ont souvent été vigoureux, et ils ont beaucoup influencé notre connaissance des idées sur la langue qui étaient celles de... more
Malgré l’accès limité aux exemples, les jugements des chercheurs sur l’utilisation du grec par Hase dans son journal ont souvent été vigoureux, et ils ont beaucoup influencé notre connaissance des idées sur la langue qui étaient celles de Hase tout à la fois dans son travail d’éditeur, de faussaire et de philhellène. Suite à la redécouverte de neuf volumes complets du journal en 2020, cet article propose une première description de l’utilisation du grec par Hase dans le texte de son journal. Après une introduction à Hase, à l’homme, à son oeuvre et aux opinions existantes sur ses journaux, la première section de l’article propose un examen des idées antérieures sur l’utilisation du grec par Hase dans les journaux. La deuxième section présente l’analyse d’un exemple de texte. Dans une troisième section, l’article passe en revue les réflexions théoriques du chercheur sur l’histoire et l’utilisation de la langue grecque dans le contexte de la discussion contemporaine du XIXe siècle.
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By the early eighteenth century, interest in discourse about the mountain as a distinctive feature of the natural world was running at an all-time high in scholarly circles: Natural philosophers were dedicating lengthy monographs to their... more
By the early eighteenth century, interest in discourse about the mountain as a distinctive feature of the natural world was running at an all-time high in scholarly circles: Natural philosophers were dedicating lengthy monographs to their research expeditions through the Alps, descriptions of individual peaks were routinely published in scholarly collections, stu dents disputed all manner of questions related to the mountain at univer sities across Europe, and theologists consistently discussed God's creation of their summits in increasingly long and detailed passages of biblical commentary. 1 Until this point, discourse about the mountain, indeed, intellectual discourse on nearly every theme in Europe had taken place predominantly in Latin. However, with the publication of key vernacular works like Albrecht von Haller's Die Alpen (1729) and Salomon Gessner's Idyllen (1756), whose celebrations of the mountain landscape are enjoyed by readers still today, scholarship interested in the history of literary engage ments with the mountain has conventionally shifted its gaze away from early modern Latin works and focused on the rich traditions of mountain writing in the vernacular languages. 2 From one perspective, this shift 1 Well-known examples from these four groups include:
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As one of the least common, yet predictable astronomical occurrences, the transits of Venus were to become among the most keenly anticipated events for early modern cosmologists. Basing himself on Johannes Kepler's Tabulae Rudolphinae... more
As one of the least common, yet predictable astronomical occurrences, the transits of Venus were to become among the most keenly anticipated events for early modern cosmologists. Basing himself on Johannes Kepler's Tabulae Rudolphinae (1627), former Cambridge student Jeremiah Horrocks (1616-1641) made the first recorded observation of a transit from Much Hoole, Lancashire in 1639. Alongside the description of his observations, Horrocks' Venus in sole visa contains four poems alongside the work's prose descriptions, figures, and tables. His verses call on the long tradition of Latin scientific poetry employed for the predictable purposes of eulogy and homage, but they also serve to justify and clarify the author's position on scientific issues of his time. Despite the long-recognized importance of Horrocks' observations, his hexameter compositions have been largely ignored in later scholarship. In the latest translation of the Venus in sole visa (2012), one poem-the longest and arguably the best-is omitted altogether. This paper offers a study of Horrocks' Latin poetry, his models and engagement with its subject matter. It reveals Horrocks' efforts to promote his predecessors' achievements, his position on questions central to the debates of his time, and the claims for authority he made for the work of others, as well as for his own. The present article also includes a new, modern translation of Horrocks' longest, and recently forgotten poem as an appendix.
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This note has as its objective the presentation, edition and preliminary study of a trilingual epigram from the immense manuscript oeuvre of Valencian humanist Vicente Mariner (1570–1642). If Mariner’s endeavours as a Hellenist place him... more
This note has as its objective the presentation, edition and preliminary study of a trilingual epigram from the immense manuscript oeuvre of Valencian humanist Vicente Mariner (1570–1642). If Mariner’s endeavours as a Hellenist place him already within a rather select group in this period of Spain’s literary history, his extensive use of Ancient Greek for his own verse composition differentiates the author almost entirely from his contemporaries. By way of its focussed attention to an epigram in Ancient Greek and its following versions in Latin and Castilian on the theme of ὑπόκρισις, this note aims in the first place to make a small contribution to this recent interest in Mariner’s Greek poetry and to open discussion on the author’s multilingual poetic production.
The present note gives a diplomatic edition of the three texts from the autograph manuscript BNE Matrietensis MS 9813 accompanied by a modern translation of the Greek—presented as the primary text in the manuscript—before offering very preliminary considerations of selected questions on the poem and its context.
The present note gives a diplomatic edition of the three texts from the autograph manuscript BNE Matrietensis MS 9813 accompanied by a modern translation of the Greek—presented as the primary text in the manuscript—before offering very preliminary considerations of selected questions on the poem and its context.
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The beaver is among modern Canada's best recognized symbols: alongside its official designation as the country's national animal in 1975, the beaver also currently appears on the Canadian five-cent piece, as well as on the modern Canadian... more
The beaver is among modern Canada's best recognized symbols: alongside its official designation as the country's national animal in 1975, the beaver also currently appears on the Canadian five-cent piece, as well as on the modern Canadian parliament building's Peace Tower in the figure of the 'mother beaver' . This symbolism is nothing new: the animal's significance for the region's economic and social history was similarly referenced in early modern culture, and the beaver was proposed for appearance on both the Hudson's Bay Company's coat of arms and that of Quebec City already in 1678, to take just two well-known examples. This early symbolic interest in the beaver was accompanied by vivid literary attention, where more objective descriptions of the animal's physical features, lifestyle, dams, and lodges-as well as, of course, how best to hunt it-appeared beside more creative treatments of its apparent communal activity. By the end of the eighteenth century, the beaver was regularly raised to the position of an idealized model for human social structure, collective industry, and just behavior in writings about colonial societies all over the American continent. With such a prominent position in both historical and modern Canadian culture, it comes as no surprise to find that the beaver, along with its social, economic, and symbolic functions, has been well studied. For the particular purposes of this chapter, scholars have dedicated a good deal of attention to the popular use of the animal as an allegory and point of comparison for human society in early modern literature. But the inspiration, motivation, and author responsible for this turn from existing literary topoi long associated with the beaver, to the allegorical, anthropomorphic discourses so popular from the mid-seventeenth century are yet to be identified. The present contribution aims to redress and rectify this gap in our understanding.
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In the existing scholarship on the Greek epigram to Queen Elizabeth I attributed to Pietro Bizzarri, the oldest manuscript witness, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek cod. phil. gr. 299 has, until now, gone entirely unnoticed. This... more
In the existing scholarship on the Greek epigram to Queen Elizabeth I attributed to Pietro Bizzarri, the oldest manuscript witness, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek cod. phil. gr. 299 has, until now, gone entirely unnoticed. This manuscript solves several textual problems in the early modern printed editions and gives new insights into the date, authorship, historical context, and early circulation of the epigram. Taking into account the readings of the Viennese manuscript, this article presents a new critical edition of the poem alongside a new English translation and notes. Furthermore, the poem's attribu-tion to the Italian humanist and spy Pietro Bizzarri (1525-ca. 1586), called into question in earlier studies, can now be confirmed. The epigram can now also be placed within a broader context of continental humanist interest in Tudor England.
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In early modern Oxford and Cambridge the practice of disputation was, as in all contemporary university contexts, among the most common methods of educating and evaluating students throughout their careers. Short poems known as ‘act’ or... more
In early modern Oxford and Cambridge the practice of disputation was, as in all contemporary university contexts, among the most common methods of educating and evaluating students throughout their careers. Short poems known as ‘act’ or ‘tripos’ verses (composed mainly in Latin but sometimes in Greek or Hebrew) were produced regularly to commemorate and publicise disputation events from at least the mid-sixteenth onwards.
This contribution offers a study of a group of nine act and tripos verses marking disputation events on the science of sound in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. After an overview of the poetic genre in general and an introduction to contemporary study of the sound (selected as one of the most frequently disputed topics in the period for which this poetry survives), this article focuses on the important evidence offered by the poems for their role in receiving and disseminating new ideas in early modern science. As we shall see, the verses’ blend of classical and contemporary literary themes suggests an atmosphere at the disputation events not simply of dry, occasional versification in ancient languages, but rather of lively alertness to popular cultural themes and their active employment to properly entertain an audience. The poems’ clever and often humorous engagement with their disputation themes reflects, moreover, the intense interest in questions of contemporary natural philosophical research in Oxford and Cambridge. The contribution finishes by suggesting that act and tripos verse may even have contributed to a growing curiosity around questions of natural philosophy among educated circles in the period.
This contribution offers a study of a group of nine act and tripos verses marking disputation events on the science of sound in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. After an overview of the poetic genre in general and an introduction to contemporary study of the sound (selected as one of the most frequently disputed topics in the period for which this poetry survives), this article focuses on the important evidence offered by the poems for their role in receiving and disseminating new ideas in early modern science. As we shall see, the verses’ blend of classical and contemporary literary themes suggests an atmosphere at the disputation events not simply of dry, occasional versification in ancient languages, but rather of lively alertness to popular cultural themes and their active employment to properly entertain an audience. The poems’ clever and often humorous engagement with their disputation themes reflects, moreover, the intense interest in questions of contemporary natural philosophical research in Oxford and Cambridge. The contribution finishes by suggesting that act and tripos verse may even have contributed to a growing curiosity around questions of natural philosophy among educated circles in the period.
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Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s "De ignis seu caloris certa portione Heluetiae adsignata" (1708) is one of a series of scientific papers that the prominent Swiss physician and naturalist (1672-1733) sent to the Royal Society in the early 1700s.... more
Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s "De ignis seu caloris certa portione Heluetiae adsignata" (1708) is one of a series of scientific papers that the prominent Swiss physician and naturalist (1672-1733) sent to the Royal Society in the early 1700s. This particular essay provides an original contribution to physico-theological thought. Unlike most natural-theological works, it emphasises the dangers of human intervention in nature. As an early modern thought-experiment on climate warming and its expected consequences on Alpine and European ecosystems, it seems to anticipate modern anxiety on climate change. But it is also, a fine piece of Neo-Latin mountain-writing in the tradition of earlier authors such as Henricus Glareanus (1488-1563) and Conrad Gesner (1516-1565). This article offers the first edition of "De ignis seu caloris certa portione", based on Scheuchzer’s autograph in the Royal Society collections in London. Scheuchzer’s text is accompanied by an English translation, a full textual commentary, a short biography of the author, and an appendix providing the details of Scheuchzer’s papers and letters to the Royal Society for 1703-1708.
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Book review of Betite et Wurmser, Eleutheria! Retour à la liberté (Lyon 2021).
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Gilbert Tournoy and M. Mund-Dopchie (eds.) La correspondance de Guillaume Budé et Juan Luis Vives. Introduction, critical edition, and notes. Supplementa Humanistica Lovaniensia, 38. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2015. 160 pp. ISBN: 978-94-6270-036-9 in Neo-Latin News, SPRING 64 (2016) pp. 69–71.more
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The paper addresses the shift in attitude towards the mountain and mountain landscape, which took place throughout the Renaissance and Early Modern Period. It will begin from the position that Neo-Latin literature played a crucial and as... more
The paper addresses the shift in attitude towards the mountain and mountain landscape, which took place throughout the Renaissance and Early Modern Period. It will begin from the position that Neo-Latin literature played a crucial and as yet overlooked role in the story of the changing mentality towards mountains.
This can be demonstrated by examining just one part of the broad and complicated history of the mountain attitude change and focusing on the how the mountain’s aesthetic character developed during the period, from being considered an ugly place and barren to one of fertility and beauty. The paper shows how developments in the closely bound disciplines of geography and painting the natural world developed a concept of ‘landscape’, and then how this concept began to effect a change in the way the mountain was considered as an aesthetic object. In particular, the dual forces of a sharp uptake in interest in geography and mapmaking in German-speaking countries during the sixteenth century and developments in art theory during the fifteenth and into the sixteenth century provides a background to the appearance of a ‘landscape idea’. This ‘idea’ is then used to approach and interpret a collection of Swiss mountain texts in Latin, centered around the Zurich humanist Conrad Gesner (1516-1565), whose aesthetic appreciation of the mountain environment represents a radical change from what had gone before.
This can be demonstrated by examining just one part of the broad and complicated history of the mountain attitude change and focusing on the how the mountain’s aesthetic character developed during the period, from being considered an ugly place and barren to one of fertility and beauty. The paper shows how developments in the closely bound disciplines of geography and painting the natural world developed a concept of ‘landscape’, and then how this concept began to effect a change in the way the mountain was considered as an aesthetic object. In particular, the dual forces of a sharp uptake in interest in geography and mapmaking in German-speaking countries during the sixteenth century and developments in art theory during the fifteenth and into the sixteenth century provides a background to the appearance of a ‘landscape idea’. This ‘idea’ is then used to approach and interpret a collection of Swiss mountain texts in Latin, centered around the Zurich humanist Conrad Gesner (1516-1565), whose aesthetic appreciation of the mountain environment represents a radical change from what had gone before.
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Organizers: Dr William Barton (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies) Dr Sara Olivia Miglietti (University of Warwick) This panel, or series of panels, aims to investigate the forms and strategies of authorial translation in... more
Organizers: Dr William Barton (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies) Dr Sara Olivia Miglietti (University of Warwick)
This panel, or series of panels, aims to investigate the forms and strategies of authorial translation in the long Renaissance (c. 1350-1650). By ‘authorial translation’ we intend to designate a constellation of practices ranging from self- translation proper (see e.g. Cordingley 2013, Deneire 2013, Turchetti 2013, Turchetti 2015) to the activity of ‘“strong” translators who placed their own unmistakable imprint on the works they translated’ (Bernofsky 2005:x). In the latter sense, authorial translation is not necessarily defined ‘by the translator being an author in his own right, but by his active shaping of the translated text in a particular direction’ (ibid.). By encouraging reflection on this theme, we aim to draw attention to a crucial, though still understudied, aspect of Renaissance culture, and to establish a dialogue between intellectual historians, linguists, and literary theorists concerning the character of Renaissance translation practices.
In recent decades, the ‘translation turn’ that has thoroughly reshaped literary and cultural studies by transforming translation from a ‘thing to be taught’ into a ‘thing to be studied’ (Bassnett and Lefevere 1990) has also brought into focus the importance of translation as a pivotal aspect of Renaissance culture. Renaissance translation has thereafter been investigated as a humanistic practice allowing dissemination of ancient texts and knowledge, and—more often than not— carried out under controversial theoretical guidelines (see e.g. Botley 2004); as a catalyst of transnational and/or cross-cultural communication and ‘hybridization’ (see e.g. Burke 2005, Burke and Po-chia Hsia 2007, and William Pettigrew’s on-going AHRC project on ‘Cultural Hybridisation and Early Modern Globalisation’); as a social practice defined by specific material and historical circumstances (see e.g. Pérez Fernández and Wilson-Lee 2014); and as a key contributor to the refashioning of Latin and to the development of national vernacular languages in Renaissance Europe (see e.g. Melehy 2010, Thurn 2012, Deneire 2014).
While studies such as these have greatly advanced our knowledge of the forms and strategies of Renaissance translation, as well as of the social and biographical profiles of Renaissance translators (see e.g. recent studies of John Florio by Pfister 2005, Pirillo 2013), substantial work still remains to be done in order to clarify the complex relationship between translation and authorship throughout the late medieval and early modern period—a time that witnessed profound transformations to the very notion of ‘author’ (see Brunn 2001). By focusing on the theory and practice of Renaissance authorial translation, we hope to contribute, on the one hand, to our knowledge of Renaissance translation practices, and, more broadly, to the on-going theoretical debate about the nexus between translation and authorship (see e.g. Venuti 2008 and Pym 2010).
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We welcome abstracts for 20-minute presentations on the following themes:
- authorial translation: definition and case studies
- self-translation: forms, strategies, related issues (linguistic: Latin and vernacular, bilingualism, linguistic choice and the expressive potentialities of different languages, etc.; social and cultural: intended audiences, impact of censorship, etc.; literary: authorial revision, rewriting, authorial intention, etc.)
- supervised translation: status and case studies
- traducteur/traditeur: translation as a form of rewriting/authorship
Please send a 150-word abstract and a 300-word curriculum vitae to s.o.miglietti@warwick.ac.uk by 15 May 2015 (sample CVs are available on the RSA website: http://www.rsa.org/?page=submissionguidelines).
PLEASE NOTE that the RSA requires that all abstracts include a title, keywords, and do not exceed 150 words. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept abstracts that do not conform to these norms.
This panel, or series of panels, aims to investigate the forms and strategies of authorial translation in the long Renaissance (c. 1350-1650). By ‘authorial translation’ we intend to designate a constellation of practices ranging from self- translation proper (see e.g. Cordingley 2013, Deneire 2013, Turchetti 2013, Turchetti 2015) to the activity of ‘“strong” translators who placed their own unmistakable imprint on the works they translated’ (Bernofsky 2005:x). In the latter sense, authorial translation is not necessarily defined ‘by the translator being an author in his own right, but by his active shaping of the translated text in a particular direction’ (ibid.). By encouraging reflection on this theme, we aim to draw attention to a crucial, though still understudied, aspect of Renaissance culture, and to establish a dialogue between intellectual historians, linguists, and literary theorists concerning the character of Renaissance translation practices.
In recent decades, the ‘translation turn’ that has thoroughly reshaped literary and cultural studies by transforming translation from a ‘thing to be taught’ into a ‘thing to be studied’ (Bassnett and Lefevere 1990) has also brought into focus the importance of translation as a pivotal aspect of Renaissance culture. Renaissance translation has thereafter been investigated as a humanistic practice allowing dissemination of ancient texts and knowledge, and—more often than not— carried out under controversial theoretical guidelines (see e.g. Botley 2004); as a catalyst of transnational and/or cross-cultural communication and ‘hybridization’ (see e.g. Burke 2005, Burke and Po-chia Hsia 2007, and William Pettigrew’s on-going AHRC project on ‘Cultural Hybridisation and Early Modern Globalisation’); as a social practice defined by specific material and historical circumstances (see e.g. Pérez Fernández and Wilson-Lee 2014); and as a key contributor to the refashioning of Latin and to the development of national vernacular languages in Renaissance Europe (see e.g. Melehy 2010, Thurn 2012, Deneire 2014).
While studies such as these have greatly advanced our knowledge of the forms and strategies of Renaissance translation, as well as of the social and biographical profiles of Renaissance translators (see e.g. recent studies of John Florio by Pfister 2005, Pirillo 2013), substantial work still remains to be done in order to clarify the complex relationship between translation and authorship throughout the late medieval and early modern period—a time that witnessed profound transformations to the very notion of ‘author’ (see Brunn 2001). By focusing on the theory and practice of Renaissance authorial translation, we hope to contribute, on the one hand, to our knowledge of Renaissance translation practices, and, more broadly, to the on-going theoretical debate about the nexus between translation and authorship (see e.g. Venuti 2008 and Pym 2010).
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We welcome abstracts for 20-minute presentations on the following themes:
- authorial translation: definition and case studies
- self-translation: forms, strategies, related issues (linguistic: Latin and vernacular, bilingualism, linguistic choice and the expressive potentialities of different languages, etc.; social and cultural: intended audiences, impact of censorship, etc.; literary: authorial revision, rewriting, authorial intention, etc.)
- supervised translation: status and case studies
- traducteur/traditeur: translation as a form of rewriting/authorship
Please send a 150-word abstract and a 300-word curriculum vitae to s.o.miglietti@warwick.ac.uk by 15 May 2015 (sample CVs are available on the RSA website: http://www.rsa.org/?page=submissionguidelines).
PLEASE NOTE that the RSA requires that all abstracts include a title, keywords, and do not exceed 150 words. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept abstracts that do not conform to these norms.