Chapter 31. The art of letter-writing
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Elisabetta Bartoli
Abstract
This essay contains, in the first part, a chronological excursus (late 11th-late 13th century) dedicated to the ars dictandi, the medieval ars that teaches epistolography and the editing of prose texts; the most significant masters and the most important works are illustrated, from Alberico di Montecassino to Pier della Vigna and Tommaso di Capua. In the second part, on the basis of contemporary studies, a panorama of comparative research carried out or to be carried out on the materials of ars dictandi is traced; these researches demonstrate the richness of the epistolographic texts and the possibility of analysis from different perspectives, for example from the historical, sociological, juridical, documentary, rhetorical-literary, linguistic point of view and so on. The bibliography, necessarily selective, is however attentive to the new editiones principes and the most recent essays.
Abstract
This essay contains, in the first part, a chronological excursus (late 11th-late 13th century) dedicated to the ars dictandi, the medieval ars that teaches epistolography and the editing of prose texts; the most significant masters and the most important works are illustrated, from Alberico di Montecassino to Pier della Vigna and Tommaso di Capua. In the second part, on the basis of contemporary studies, a panorama of comparative research carried out or to be carried out on the materials of ars dictandi is traced; these researches demonstrate the richness of the epistolographic texts and the possibility of analysis from different perspectives, for example from the historical, sociological, juridical, documentary, rhetorical-literary, linguistic point of view and so on. The bibliography, necessarily selective, is however attentive to the new editiones principes and the most recent essays.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword ix
-
Section I. Instead of an introduction
- Chapter 1. Combien de littératures latines médiévales ? 3
-
Section IA. Regional layers
- Chapter 2. Italy 15
- Chapter 3. France et Belgique 52
- Chapter 4. Germany and Austria 73
- Chapter 5. Switzerland 121
- Chapter 6. Spain 135
- Chapter 7. Portugal (950–1400) 158
- Chapter 8. Ireland, Scotland, Wales 168
- Chapter 9. England 177
- Chapter 10. Czech lands 199
- Chapter 11. Chronological and regional layers - Poland 207
- Chapter 12. Hungary 214
- Chapter 13. Nordic countries 221
- Chapter 14. Baltic countries 235
-
Section IB. Regional Latinities outside Europe in the medieval and early modern times
- Chapter 15. Africa (fifth-sixth century) 253
- Chapter 16. The Middle East 264
- Chapter 17. Latin literature and the Arabic language 284
- Chapter 18. Latin orientalism 296
- Chapter 19. Central and East Asia 308
- Chapter 20. Latin literature on the “discovery” of America 324
- Chapter 21. A “postcolonial” approach to medieval Latin literature? 335
-
Section II. Medieval Latin multimedial communication
-
Section IIA. Manuscripts and visual communication
- Chapter 22. The circulation of Latin texts during the Middle Ages 349
- Chapter 23. Latin manuscripts as multimedia communication tools 363
- Chapter 24. “Textual images” and “visual texts” 376
- Chapter 25. Medieval science in daily life 406
- Chapter 26. Latin traditions in medieval cartography 436
-
Section IIB. Orality and performance
- Chapter 27. Liturgy, drama, preaching, and narration 453
- Chapter 28. Sung medieval Latin verse as performance 465
-
Section III. Renewing paradigms
- Chapter 29. Gendering authorship 487
- Chapter 30. Ecologies of medieval Latin poetics 498
- Chapter 31. The art of letter-writing 507
- Chapter 32. Between history and fiction 523
- Chapter 33. Starting anew 540
-
Section IV. Interfaces. Latin/vernacular and medieval/modern
- Chapter 34. The conquest of literacy 557
- Chapter 35. Troilus and Briseida in the Western literature 578
- Chapter 36. Fairies from Walter Map to European folklore 588
- Chapter 37. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the evolution of Excalibur 596
- Chapter 38. The matter of Troy in medieval Latin poetry (ca. 1060 – ca. 1230) 606
- Chapter 39. Hamlet 625
- Chapter 40. Faust’s medieval origins 639
- Biographies 647
- Index nominum 655
- Index locorum 699
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword ix
-
Section I. Instead of an introduction
- Chapter 1. Combien de littératures latines médiévales ? 3
-
Section IA. Regional layers
- Chapter 2. Italy 15
- Chapter 3. France et Belgique 52
- Chapter 4. Germany and Austria 73
- Chapter 5. Switzerland 121
- Chapter 6. Spain 135
- Chapter 7. Portugal (950–1400) 158
- Chapter 8. Ireland, Scotland, Wales 168
- Chapter 9. England 177
- Chapter 10. Czech lands 199
- Chapter 11. Chronological and regional layers - Poland 207
- Chapter 12. Hungary 214
- Chapter 13. Nordic countries 221
- Chapter 14. Baltic countries 235
-
Section IB. Regional Latinities outside Europe in the medieval and early modern times
- Chapter 15. Africa (fifth-sixth century) 253
- Chapter 16. The Middle East 264
- Chapter 17. Latin literature and the Arabic language 284
- Chapter 18. Latin orientalism 296
- Chapter 19. Central and East Asia 308
- Chapter 20. Latin literature on the “discovery” of America 324
- Chapter 21. A “postcolonial” approach to medieval Latin literature? 335
-
Section II. Medieval Latin multimedial communication
-
Section IIA. Manuscripts and visual communication
- Chapter 22. The circulation of Latin texts during the Middle Ages 349
- Chapter 23. Latin manuscripts as multimedia communication tools 363
- Chapter 24. “Textual images” and “visual texts” 376
- Chapter 25. Medieval science in daily life 406
- Chapter 26. Latin traditions in medieval cartography 436
-
Section IIB. Orality and performance
- Chapter 27. Liturgy, drama, preaching, and narration 453
- Chapter 28. Sung medieval Latin verse as performance 465
-
Section III. Renewing paradigms
- Chapter 29. Gendering authorship 487
- Chapter 30. Ecologies of medieval Latin poetics 498
- Chapter 31. The art of letter-writing 507
- Chapter 32. Between history and fiction 523
- Chapter 33. Starting anew 540
-
Section IV. Interfaces. Latin/vernacular and medieval/modern
- Chapter 34. The conquest of literacy 557
- Chapter 35. Troilus and Briseida in the Western literature 578
- Chapter 36. Fairies from Walter Map to European folklore 588
- Chapter 37. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the evolution of Excalibur 596
- Chapter 38. The matter of Troy in medieval Latin poetry (ca. 1060 – ca. 1230) 606
- Chapter 39. Hamlet 625
- Chapter 40. Faust’s medieval origins 639
- Biographies 647
- Index nominum 655
- Index locorum 699