medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Ann,
I'd strongly second John's suggestion that you delete the definite articles in your overview of the book's hagiographical contents. It contains SOME "legendary lives" (not really the definitive ones, but abbreviated versions which tend to emphasize the miraculous elements) of SOME "great saints"-- both medieval and early Christian ones.
I'd also second Jim's point about the translations. Many of the vernacular translations of the Golden Legend and even some of the later Latin manuscripts might best be described as expanded versions, which add accounts of other saints who were popular in their own regions.
One more point: Although Caxton's is the best known of the medieval English translations, it is by no means the first. Many chapters of the Golden Legend were translated (or adapted) ca. 1300 by the anonymous compilers of the South English Legendary, a few chapters were translated in smaller hagiographical collections, and virtually all of them were translated again in the so-called Gilte Legend, which preceded Caxton's by about 50 years. This last-mentioned work is just now being published for the first time by the Early English Text Society, in an edition by Richard Hamer and Vida Russell that will finally make it easy for readers of Caxton to compare his work with its most important predecessor in English.
Sherry Reames (English Dept., University of Wisconsin-Madison)
----- Original Message -----
From: John Dillon <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2007 4:24 pm
Subject: Re: [M-R] Question re the Golden Legend
To: [log in to unmask]
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Dear Ann,
>
> As you probably know, one definition of the word "camel" is: "a horse
> designed by a committee". At the risk of giving your very serviceable
> paragraph a metaphorical hump or two, let me suggest that you delete
> the word "the" at the following places:
>
> a large collection of stories of the saints.
> the legendary lives
> of the great medieval saints
> the lives of Christ,...
>
> The reason for this is to avoid giving the incorrect impression that
> the LA covers _all_ the saints, or even all the "great medieval
> saints" (it doesn't), or that it purveys the _only_ legendary lives of
> these saints and the only lives of Christ, the BVM, etc. that
> circulated in the Middle Ages. Even though these limitations are
> obviously not your intent, some will interpret the definite article in
> this restrictive fashion. So it's better just to omit the article and
> to say "stories of saints", "lives of Christ", etc.
>
> Two smaller points:
>
> 1) For "It was first published" say "It was first printed".
> "Publishing" is "making public" (usually through the production of
> multiple copies). Distribution in manuscript copies is thus also a
> form of publishing and in this case that obviously happened sooner.
>
> 2) For "of Voragine’s work" it would be better to say "of de
> Voragine's" work. "Voragine" is a Latin form of a place name (J.'s
> town of origin, today's Varazze near Genoa). As used in J.'s case,
> it's analogous to the "Vinci" in "Leonardo da Vinci".
>
> Best,
> John Dillon
>
>
> On Sunday, January 21, 2007, at 8:00 am, Ann Ball wrote:
>
> > I wanted an introductory paragraph to something on the life of the
> > Virgin as
> > found in the Golden Legend. I wrote it as below, but it occurs to
> me
> > to ask
> > if any of you think I have put anything inaccurate or misleading.
>
> > Thanks.
> > Ann
> >
> > The Blessed Dominican, Jacobus de Voragine, was born about 1230
> near
> > today’s
> > Genoa, Italy. He joined the Dominicans at age 14. A teacher and
> > noted
> > preacher, he was named archbishop of Genoa in 1292. He was
> especially
> > known for
> > his piety and great charity, and was beatified in 1816 by Pope Pius
>
> > VII.
> > During his lifetime, he compiled the Legenda Aurea Sanctorum, The
> > Golden Legend,
> > which is a large collection of stories of the saints. The book,
> > which
> > contains the legendary lives of the great medieval saints also
> > contains the lives
> > of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other biblical characters. Some 900
>
> > manuscripts of the Legend survive. It was first published in the
> late
> > 1400s and is a
> > classic of medieval literature. Numerous translations of
> Voragine’s
> > work
> > have been made. The first English translation by William Caxton
> > appeared in the
> > early years of the 1480s and other translations are still in print
> today.
> >
>
> **********************************************************************
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