Vergil in the Middle Ages

by Domenico Comparetti, E. F.M. Benecke (Translator)

Overview

From its first complete Italian printing in 1872 up to the present day, Domenico Comparetti's Vergil in the Middle Ages has been acknowledged as a masterpiece, regarded by some critics as "a true and proper history of European consciousness from antiquity to Dante." Treating Vergil's poetry as a foundation of Latin European identity, Comparetti seeks to give a complete history of the medieval conception of the preeminent poet. Scholars of the time had transformed Vergil into a sage and a seer, a type of universal philosopher—even a Christian poet and a guide of a Christian poet. In the mid-twelfth century, there surfaced legends that converted Vergil into a magician, endowing him with supernatural powers. Comparetti explores the ongoing interest in Vergil's poetry as it appeared in popular folklore and legends as well as in medieval classical scholarship. This great synthesizing work, which has been unavailable for over twenty years, is now back in print, based on E.F.M. Benecke's 1895 translation of the Italian second edition.


Comparetti begins with the period in which Vergil lived and goes on to evaluate how the later images, particularly the legends, of Vergil coincide with the more scholarly accounts of his life. The result is a grand sweep of literary history from the first century B.C.E. through the end of the Middle Ages, with implications for the nineteenth century and the rise of Italian nationalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691026787
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	01/12/1997
Series:	Princeton Paperbacks
Edition description:	With a New introduction by Jan M. Ziolkowski
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Domenico Comparetti (1835-1927) was a professor of French literature at the University of Florence. He ranks with Auerbach and Curtius as one of the great synthesizing scholars of classical literature and its survival in popular and learned traditions. Jan M. Ziolkowski is Professor of Medieval Latin and of Comparative Literature at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Jan M. Ziolkowski
Author's Preface to the First Edition
PART I THE VERGIL OF LITERARY TRADITION
CHAPTER I.—Importance for Vergil's reputation of the Aeneid. Predilection of
the Romans for Epic Poetry. National
character of the Aeneid, and its connection
with the Roman sentiment. First impressions produced by the Poem
CHAPTER II.—Value of the grammatical,
rhetorical and erudite elements in the Poem,
and importance of these features from the
conteemporary point of view. Nature of the
earliest critical works on Vergil, and
character of the first judgments passed on him
CHAPTER III.—Proofs of the Poet's popularity
in the best days of the Empire. Vergil in the schools and the grammatical treatises
CHAPTER IV.—Vergil in the rhetorical
schools. Reaction in favour of the earlier
writers; effect of this upon Vergil; Fronto
and his followers, Aulus Gellius. Veneration
felt for Vergil; the Sortes Vergilianae
CHAPTER V.—The Time of the Decadence.
Popularity of Vergil. The Centos. The
Commentators, Aelius, Donatus and Servius.
Philosophical interpretations. Exaggerations
of the historical allegory in the Bucolics.
Vergil regarded as a rhetorician; the
rhetorical commentary of Tib. Cl. Donatus.
Macrobius, the idea of Vergil's omniscience
and infallibility. Vergil as an authority on
grammar; Donatus and Priscian. Nature of
Vergil's reputation at the downfall of the Empire
CHAPTER VI.—Christianity and the Middle Ages. Survival of the ancient scholastic
traditions; the limits of this. Vergil as
the incarnation of grammar. Position of
Vergil and the other classical pagan writers
in the midst of enthusiasm for christianity
CHAPTER VII.—Vergil as prophet of Christ
CHAPTER VIII.—The philosophical allegory.
Nature and causes of the allegorical
interpretation of Vergil; Fulgentius; Bernard
de Chartres; John of Salisbury; Dante
CHAPTER IX.—Grammatical and rhetorical
studies in the Middle Ages; use made of
Vergil in these
CHAPTER X.—The Vergilian biography; its
vicissitudes; literary legends as to his
life; distinction betwen these and the
popular legends. Rhetorical exercises in
verse on Vergilian themes
CHAPTER XI.—Medieval Latin poetry in
classical form. Small success of the monks
in this kind of poetry. Rhythmical poetry
CHAPTER XII.—Clerical conception of
antiquity in the Middle Ages. Vergil's
position in this conception
CHAPTER XIII.—The causes that led to the
Renaissance. The reawakening of the Laity.
Popular literature. The features in this
peculiar to Italy
CHAPTER XIV.—Dante. Character and tendency
of his intellectual activity. Limits of his
classical culture. The points in this where
he approaches the medieval monks and where he
differs from them. Consideration of the
degree to which he was a forerunner of the
Renaissance. His felling for classical
poetry. The ancient Roman Empire and Dante's
Italian partriotism. Reason of the sympathy
between Dante and Vergil. The bello stile of
Dante and Vergil
CHAPTER XV.—Vergil in the Divina Commedia. Historical and symbolical reasons for his
appearance there. Why Vergil, and not
Aristotle, is Dante's guide. Points of
difference between Dante's type of Vergil and
that usual in the Middle Ages. Elimination
of certain features, idealisation of others.
Vergil and Christianity in Dante's poem. The
nature of Vergil's omniscience there. The
prophecy of Christ. The relation between
Vergil and Statius. Vergil and Dante's ideal Empire
CHAPTER XVI.—Vergil in the Dolopathos. The
merging of the scholastic tradition in the popular
PART II THE VERGIL OF POPULAR LEGEND
CHAPTER I.—Relation of romantic literature
to the classical tradition. Classical antiquity romanticised. The Romance of
Aeneas. The Dolopathos. The Magician and
the Sage in medieval works of the
imagination. Italy and the romances. Legend
of Vergil as magician originates among the
common people at Naples. It invades romantic
and erudite literature
CHAPTER II.—The legend at Naples in the
Twelfth Century. Conradvon Querfurt, Gervasius of Tilbury, Alexander Neckam
CHAPTER III.—Nature and causes of the
Neapolitan legend. The legend at
Montevergine. Its relation to the historical tradition
CHAPTER IV.—Spread of the legend outside
Italy
CHAPTER V.—The seat of Vergil's legendary activity transferred to Rome. The Salvatio
Romae
CHAPTER VI.—Development of the legend during
the Thirteenth Century. Image du Monde,
Roman des Sept Sages, Cleomades, Renart
Contrefait, Gesta Romanorum, Jans Enenkel
CHAPTER VII.—Combination of the idea of
Vergil as prophet of Christ with that of
Vergil as magician. Vergil and the Sibyl in
the mysteries. Vergil as prophet of Christ
and the Salvatio Romae; Roman de Vespasien.
Legends relative to Vergil's magic book.
Abstract expression of the idea of Vergil as
magician in the Philosophia of
Pseudo-Virgilius Cordubensis. The idea of
magician completed with biographical
particulars. Sporadic Portions of the legend
CHAPTER VIII.—Vergil and Women. The story
of the chest. The Bocca della Verita
CHAPTER IX.—Fate of the legend in Italy;
Cronica di Partenope, Ruggieri Pugliese,
Boccaccio, Cino da Pistoja, Antonio Pucci.
The legend at Rome. The legend at Mantua. Buonamente Aliprandi. Relation of the
legends to the ancient biography
CHAPTER X.—Collections of the legends
relative to Vergil. Les Faits merveilleux de
Virgile. The Fleur des histoires of Jean
d'Outremeuse. Romance de Virgilio. Gradual
disappearance of the legends from literature
after the Sixteenth Century. Their survival
among the common people in the south of Italy
up to the present day